The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-06-16
ARBITRATORS NOW
SITTING in PARIS
Opening Of Discussion By England's
Representative.
Rooms Occupied the Same As Thoss
In Which Peace Was Arranged
Between United States and Spain
Welcomed By French Foreign
Minister-Will Meet But Four
DAYS In Each Week-Address of
the President, M. De Martens.

Paris, June 15.-The first forms
meeting of the Venezuela arbitration
commission opened this morning. TIL
arbitrators, counsel and others begaI
assembling at the foreign Office shortly
before IL. They were received by the
minister of foreign affairs, NJ. Delcasse
/ in the apartment in which the tribunal
will sit.
The rooms are the same used by the
! Spanish-American peace conference
7 on a raised daiS at the end of the room.
| facing the entrance, are five massive
! gilt armchairs for the arbitrators, with
| a table in front Of them. Below the
I dais are half a dozen long tables placed
across the room for counsel and the
clerical staff a large colOred map OF
the disputed territory hangs on the
wall to the right of the arbitrators.
with Il smaller map of the whole or
South America beside it
Altogether there were about forty
persons connected with the tribunal
present. The arbitrators and most OF
their staffs were dressed in frock
coats. There We're less than a dozen
spectators in that portion of the apart
ment roped off for the general public
and half dozen ladies. including Mrs
Benjamin Harrison and others belong
| ing to the American party.
The arbitrators took their seats soon
after IL o'clock. Chief Justice Melville
T.. Fuller and Richard II. Collins, lord
Justice of appeals sitting on the right
of Professor DeMartens. the umpire
and Baron Russell of Killowen, lord
chief Justice of England and Justice
David j. Brewer sitting at his left
hand Former President Benjamin
Harrison and General Benjamin r
Tracy and the remainder of the Ameri-
cans sat at the tables at the left side,
facing the court. and the other British
representatives were seated at tables
on the right side. a feature of the
proceedings was that counsel used the
desk which served during the BerinS
sea tribunal deliberations.
Opening of Convention
The proceedings opened at 11:2O. when
NJ. Delcasse briefly addressed the tri-
bunal in French. The foreign minis
ter said it gave him special pleasure
to welcome the high commission in be
half of the French republic, which, he
added. was greatly pleased at the fact
that Paris had been chosen for the sit
ting of the tribunal, among whom he
saw such eminent men, some or whom
had occupied with distinction the high
est positions.
Under the presidency of NJ. de Mar
tens who was universally acknowledged
as an authority on international law,
he continued. the labOrs could only re-
suit happily in the interests OF the dis
pute and in the interest of humanity,
for it would constitute another step
towards the realization of the noble
project which, launched from an illus
trious throne was making rapid way
into the hearts and conSc1ences or the
people and had thus imposed itself with
-, those Who govern
them.
NJ. Delcasse concluded with thanking
the arbitrators for having accepted the
hospitality of France.
Professor Martens replied, thanking
the French foreign minister for his
welcome and for the hospitality ex-
tended to the arbitrators. The speaker
recalled the fact that he came here
seven years ago to attend the BerinS
sea arbitration
Referring to the work being done at
The Hague in the matter OF arbltra-
ton. he said the peace conference
sought not merely to arrange settle
nent of conflicts. but the avoidance of
conflicts. and expressed the hope that
the present tribunal would have the
result of promoting the welfare and
prosperity of the two countries inter
ested. The professor announced the
rules of procedure agreed upon at yes
terOaN 3 COIItItiOts anu SeAAN ~AO g.
traitors would meet every day except
Sundays.
Four Days a Week.
Sir Richard Webster thereupon rose
and said that in order TO meet the
views of Former PRESIDENT , hd[rIsoii
and the other American counSei, IN
which the English representatives con-
Cured he proposed that they only
meet four days in the week, in view or
the extremely heavy work before them
MIR. Harrison said he thought there
would be in four days work enough
for ordinary men. and he evoked a
General smile as. looking around on the
gathering of the most eminent jurists
of Great Britain and America, ne
added And we are all ordinary men
rThe work before them. he added. would
he A tremendous strain upon the coun-
sci. ,.
agreed that four days meeting per
week would be sufficient. arranging
that the arbitrators would not meet
on Fridavs. Saturdays or Sundays Sir
Richard Webster asked:
"As the learned Professor Martens Is
going back to The Hague tonight, what
docs he propose to give us next week!
The professor replied that he hoped
to give them two days during the lat
fer half of next week, and that ne
would write from The Hague on sun
dav. fixing the day of his arrival
After this. Sir Richard Webster an
nounced that counsel had arranged ne
should speak first, then two Nenezue-
Ian counsel. next Great Britain with
no=sibly two counsel. then Venezuela
and. next Great Britain Ihe mat
sneeches were to be made by Nene-
Zuela.
Counsel For England
The British attorney general, Sir
Richard Webster. opened his speech Dy
mentioning that he had the privilege
years ago to appear in the same room
as iunior counsel in the Bering sea
case. He was standing at the very
desk which served at that time 1t
was a significant fact that Venezuela
was represented by distinguished men
of the American republic, while Amer