The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-06-26
THE PEACE CONFERENCE
Germany Will Withdraw. Objections
to an Arbitration Court
WITHOUT OBLIGATORY CLAUSES.

Points OF the Russian and American
Naval Proposals - Tho Americans
Urge Destruction ofProperty Rather
Than Destruction of Human Lives.
London, June 26.-The correspondent
of The Daily News at The Hague says:
Count Munster, the head of the German
delegation, has received Prince Hohen-
lohe's instructions, and Germany will
withdraw her objections to the es-
Enlistment of court of arbitration
provided the obligatory clauses are ex-
plunged. The Russians themselves do
not expect a majority for their dis
armament proposals, which are not ad-
vanced seriously.
The correspondent Of The Times at
The Hague gives the following as the
text of Russias naval proposal:
"Acceptation Of the principle that for
the term Of three years the sum of the
naval budgets shall be determined,
with an agreement not to increase the
total during that triennial period and
with an obligation announcing in ad-
vance of said period: First. the total
in tonnage Of those ships Of war
which it is proposed to build. without
specifying the models thereof Second,
the number of officers and crews In the
navy. Third, the expenditure on works
in ports, such as forts, docks, arsenals
and the like"
The question of the exemption Of
private property at sea from capture
in time Of war has entered a new
stage, through the issue of the state
ment of the American delegates. 1t
is asserted on good authority that a
certain foreign power may extend the
discussion to the declaration of Paris,
with q view of getting rid of one
feature which is not considered ad.
vantageOus The first half of the
voluminous paper is merely summary
of past action on the part Of the Uni
ted States in the matter. The proposal
itself follows:
Private property of all the citizens
or subjects Of the signatory powers,
with the exception of contraband Of
war, shall be exempt from capture or
seizure on the high seas, or elsewhere.
by the armed vessels or by the mill
tary forces of any of the said signatory
powers, but nothing herein contained
shall extend the exemption from seiz-
ure to vessels and their cargoes which
may attempt to enter port block
AIDED by the naval forces of any of said
powers"
The American delegates, referring
to the fact that the circular Of Count
Murayieff excludes eXtraneouS mat
tiers, say: THE fact Of our having re-
ceived the instructions herein referred
to from the president Of the United
States shows that our government be
lieved the scope of the conference wide
enough to include this question"
They urge as an argument that their
proposal, if adopted as rule Of war,
would ameliorate the hardships of
naval warfare. but it has been con-
clusively proved by experience in past
wars that the destruction Of sea borne
commerce is one Of the most humane
ways Of reducing the power of an
enemy. As a great thinker once OBJ
served, 1t ia better to destroy mems
property than their lives.
For the moment the question Is
whether the subject is one which can,
consistently with the terms Of the
Muravief circular, be submitted to the
conference. 1t seems scarcely prob
able that the matter will be solved In
a sense favorable to the American pro-
posal. At all events some Of the lead
ing delegates consider 1t outside the
competency Of the conference.