The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-06-06
ARBITRATION PLAN ADOPTED
LECTION TAKEN BY THE PEACE CON-
 FERENCE COlIMIZTEE.
signatory Powers Agree, Except in Ex- ceptiOnal Circumstances, to Havc Re- course to the Mediation of One or More Friendly Powers Before m Appeal to FOrce-When Good Offices Cease,

The Hague, June 5.-The arbitration
 committee of the peace conference held
 a meeting to-day under the chairman
 ship of M. Leon Bourgeois. Andrew D.
 White, head of the United States dele
 gation; Sir Julian Pauncefote head of
 the British delegation, and M. de Staal,
 head of the Russian delegation, with all
 the members of the committee, were
 present. After M. Bourgeois had made
 a sympathetic reference to the death of
 Miss Roth, daughter of pr. Roth, head
 of the Swiss delegation, who was killed
 in railroad accident last Thursday at
 Flushing, the secretary of the drafting
 committee read the draft scheme of me-
 diation which it had under considera- tion.
 Articles and are declaratory to the effect that the signatory powers in or der to prevent a recourse to force, have agreed to effect pacific solutions of diff faculties and will, except in exceptional circumstances before an appeal to force, have recourse to the mediation of one or more friendly powers.
  to such amicable means the signatories deem it expedient that one or more pow CTS not concerned in the conflict should offer of its or their own initiative and, So far as circumstances will permit, its or their good offices of mediation to the states at variance. The right to offer good offices of mediation belongs to powers not concerned in the conflict, ctyay iy,er bo of a li- ties; and the exercise of this right can never be considered by the parties at variance as an unfriendly act.
 Article 4 provides that the role of me diator shall consist in the reconciliation of conflicting claims and the allaying of bitterness between the states at vari- ance.
 Article 5, defining the limitation of the offices of a mediator, says that these shall cease on the moment when it is stated by one of the parties to the dis pute, or by the mediator, that the ar- rangement or the basis of friendly un derstanding proposed by him is not ac- cepted.
 Article says that the good offices contemplated, either at the instance of the parties at variance or on the ini- tiative of uninvolved powers, are ex- clusively of the character of friendly counsel.
 Article asserts: Acceptance of me- diation cannot have the effect. except by virtue of a convention to the con- trary, of interruptng or retarding or 1iampering mobilization or other prep arations for war. If mediation inter- yenes after the opening of hostiities it shall not interrupt. except by virtue of a convention to the contrary military operations in course of execution
 Article S-The signatories are in &C., cord to recommend, in all circumstances permitting it, special mediation in the following form: 'In the event of grave threatening peace, the states at variance shall choose respectively a power to which each shall confide the mission of entering into direct relations with the power chosen by the other side In order to prevent a rupture of friend Iy relations During the currency of their mandate, which, except in the event of a stipulation to the contrary, shall not exceed thirty days the ques- ion in dispute shall be considered as re- serred exclusively to these powers. They shall apply all their efforts to settle the dispute and, in the event of an actual rupture of friendly relations, shall re- main charged with the mission of talk ng advantage of every occasion to re- , store peace." The draft was adopted without mod fcation. although the committee stip- ' Hated that it should be subject to mod f1cations at the second reading.