Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-06
WON
One Of Their Points at the
Peace Conference.
AGAINST P%RIVATEERING
Andrew D. White Presents the Amerl-
can Side of the Matter in a Clear
and Eloquent Statement--Our Ex-
perience in the Rebellion.

The Hague. July 5.-The American del
egates scored another success today IN
obtaining from the peace conference an
unanimous vote in favor of having the
question of private property at sea in
time of war dealt with at a special con-
ference. to be summoned hereafter. Much
diplomatic management was necessary
and many obstacles had been surmount-
ed before this result was reached. me
second committee met this morning ana
Andrew D. White, head Of the American
delegation. preached the subject. Inc
question of it's admissibility under the
conference mandate was discussed. NO
vote was taken. but an agreement was
arrived at to allow the Americans to pre-
sent their case in full this afternoon. HAD
a vote been taken Immediately the Amer
leans would doubtless have carried their
point by a majority OF one or t"o' anu
to avoid this. a resolution was proposed
recognizing the Importance and complex
ity of the question and recommending
the summoning of a special conference.
At the afternoon sitting of the committee
the successive clauses of the laws OF wal
having been adopted, NJ. de Martens or
the Russian delegation moved a resoiu-
ton to that effect. Mr.. White second
ed it.
In the course of a clear and eloquent
statement of the American case he SAID
the United States government had ac-
cepted the invitation to participate IN
the conference with alacrity. because OF
the opportunity it was expected the con-
ference would afford for preaching the
truth with regard to the immunity from
capture of private property at sea. he
admitted, however, that the United states
government recognized it would be nope
less to expect any decisive result from
| his conference. owing to three causes:
| First, absence of instructions or power
! from the governments: second. doubts
as TO the competence of the conferences:
and third. the length Of time necessary
for a discussion Of all the bearings of the
case.
Mr.. White frankly admitted the diff
culties involved in deciding what constl-
tuted cCntraband of war. but insisted
that these supplied one of the best argu-
ments for a full and prominent discus
sion. The sufferings and losses which
seizures entailed We're immense, While
the effect upon the ultimate result of war
was almost nothing. Referring to the
experience of the United States in the
war of the rebellion, he said that only
three Confederate cruisers did anything
vi lllDOI dIlttp u ~ A'' -"
sells, quadrupled the rates of insurance
! etWee America and Great Britain n
caused the transfer of a half million tons
of American shipping TO British bottoms.
The final result was hat the whole
| American marine was virtually swept out
of existence.
Mr.. White warmly repudiated the sup
position that the Americans We're AMI
mated by selfish considerations. They
were eminently practical. he said, but
not less pre-eminently devoted to great
ideals. This he illustrated by referring
to the enormous sacrifice made during
the civil wal and devotion of Americans
to arbitration. But the question urged
upon the delegates, he asserted. was one
of right. justice and progress of the whole
world, and this all Americans felt decid-
edly. Nor could the acceptance of the
American proposal injure any nation. On
the contrary, it would strengthen all.
The head of the American delegation
concluded with an eloquent appeal to the
%jurists, diplomats and statesmen of al
nations assembled in the conference te
take the subject under careful considera'
ton, declaring in the words of Coun'
Nesselrode, that the addition of this
plea to international law would be {
crown of glory to the worlds diplomacy
NJ. Rahusen of the Dutch delegation
supported Mr.. White and suggested tha
the governments faE0rlng the idea Snoult
conclude treaties among themselves.
Sir Julian Pauncefote, head of thu
British delegation, said that British opin
ion was divided IN the subject and tina
} he lac no instructions regarding it. II
!, his personal opinion the question wa
!, outside the scope of the conference.
NJ. Bourgeois, head of the French dele
CATION, and Captain Scheme, of the Rus
sian delegation, announced that in tn
absence OF Instructions they could no
vote. The resolution was then put an,
carried without opposition with the res
ervations on the part of Great Britain
France and Russia.
The plenary conference assembled sub
s%equently and accepted all the resolution
of the committee.
The American delegation is much graf
flied at the result. The delegates coul
not anticipate a practical issue at thi
time. The maximum success possibl
was a full and free opinion Of placing tn
American view On record and of '%continu
ing unbroken the traditions of a centur
of American protest in behalf of pro
gressive ideas in International law. TIL
result, which at once time appeared i'm
possible, owing to the almost insuper
able difficulties, is now limo attained.
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