Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-05-18
THE GREAT PEACE CONFERENCE
Opens at The Hague-The Various Questions
TO Be Discussed.

The Hague. May l1-All the delegates
TO the interna uonal peace conference nave
arrived. To-day was spent in general
exchange Of visits. The permanent presi-
dent Of the conference will be NJ. DE
Staal, Russian ambassador TO Great Brl-
tain and the head of the Russian deiega-
ton. The honorary chairman, VINO VII!
open the proceedings. will be NJ. DE Beau
fort. president of thc council and minister
OF foreign affairs Of the government OF
the Netherlands. The city IS brilliantly
decorated with foreign flags, denoting the
varohs national Headquarters. rms
evening NJ. Van Warnobook, former
Dutch minister of foreign affairs gave
dinner to introduce the foreign delegates
The reporters will only be admitted TO
hear the inaugural address of NJ. De
Beaufort, who is excluded from opening
the discussion of the Cars project.
Three commissions VIII then be named 70
arrange programmes for discussion. The
first relates to restrictions of ornaments
ana military expenditures; the second
deals with the laws governing civilized
warfare, and the third with mediation
and arbitration y great mass OF diplo-
matte documents will be submitted on
these subjects, including the memoran-
dunn of Prince Metteruich of Austria, in
1916. regarding the suggestion of the
Prince Regent of England supported by
Alexander |. of Russia, for an interna-
tonal peace conference; the opinions OF
Mr. David Dudley Field of the United
States. as to fixing a permanent limit 70
military forces: the argument of NJ.
Merignhac in favor of simultaneous dis
armament; the proposals of Napoleon III.
to conVOke a European peace conference
at Paris, in 1863. and similar papers.
The second commission will consider
the declarations of the congress OF PARIS.
1856, and the Geneva convention, 1861; the
unratilied clauses of the Geneva conVen-
I ton of 1868; the acts of the 81. Peters
burg convention prohibiting the use Of
certain projecties by civilized nations:
the minutes of the BRUSSELS conference Of
1874. no ions of the Oxford Man.
ual regarding the laws and obSerVanceS
of war; the rules for the bombardment of
cities adopted by the institute of inter-
national law in Venice, in lSm; the decla-
ration of France and Great Britain re-
gardng the unadopted rules of the Cen
eva convention: the views Of the Amster-
dam Chamber of Commerce. approved by
successive Netherlands foreign ministers,
urging the adoption of the minutes of the
Brussels conference in 1874, dealing with
the laws and observances of war which
did not lead to the conclusion of any con-
vention; and the circular of the Dutch
minister of foreign affairs in 1871 relat-
ing to the -adoption of the principle of i'll
volatility of private property and urging
a clearing definition of the term contra
| band of war
The third commission will consider the
| proposals of Lord Clarendon at the Paris
| congress in 1856, for the intermediat ton
| of friendly state previous to a recourse
| to force; the motion of Signor Mancni in
| the Italian Chamber of Deputies. in 1875,
| in favor of arbitration; the acts of the
| Berlin and Zurich conferences on compro-
mise and media ton: Mr., David Dudley
| Field plan for an arbitration tribunal
| the proposals for an arbitration tribunal
| for the North, Central and South Ameri-
can states adopted in Washington in 1890:
| the Marquis of Salisburys letters to Sir
Julian Pauncefote in 1896 relating to the
| conclusion of an arbitration treaty be-
| tween Great Britain and the United
states; the terms of the u4.ratified Anglo