Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-05-18
PEACE CONFERENCE IN HAGUE.
1t Is Formally Opened and Delegates Are
Welcomed,

The Hague, May 1S.-The peace con-
ference called by the czar of Russia
opened at o'clock this afternoon. M.
de Beaufort president of the council
and minister of foreign affairs Of the
government of the Netherlands, deliv-
cred the inaugural address of welcome
to the delegates.
M. De Beaufort spoke of the high
honor in the choice of The Hague as a
meeting place, and extolled the noble
initiative of the cZar, saying this would
be red-letter day in the history of the
century, expressing the hope that his
majesty would be able to look back at
the day as the most glorious of his life
He concluded with calling attention to
the allegorical group over the doorway
of the hall, Peace entering to close the
temple of Janus" and said II trust
this beautiful allegory will be an au-
gury of your labors, and that after you
have completed them you will be able
to say that peace, whom art introduced
into this hall, left it to spread it's bless
ings among whole humanity"
The delegates sent the following tele-
gram to the czar: ''The peace confer
ence lays at the feet of your majesty its
respectful congratulations upon the oc-
casion of your birthday, and expresses
it's sincere desire to cooperate in the
great and noble work in which your
l.
ative, and for which it begs you to ac-
cept it's humble and profound graft
tude."
De Staale's proposal for sessions to
be secret was adopted. The next ses-
sion will be on Saturday.
M. De Staale, head of the Russian
delegation, in assuming the presidency
of the conference, expressed to M De
Beaufort sincere gratitude for the noble
terms in which he referred to his au-
gust majesty De Staale said: Though
to the czar is due the initiative of the
conference we owe much to the Meth
1t is happy augury of success that we
met under the auspices Of the young
sovereign whose heart is open to every
thing great and generous. 1t Is on the
historic soil of the Netherlands that
the greatest political problems have
been discussed; here is the cradle of
science and international law"
CZAR FULL OF HOPE.
New York, May ia dispatch to the
Journal Advertiser from William T.
Stead, who is at The Hague in the in
terest of the peace conference, says:
while I can not repeat directly any
thing the Car said to me during our
interview a few days ago at st. Peters,
burg, it is permissible to tell America
he is full of hope for results from the
peace conference" So far from regard
ing the war with the United States as
the inevitable destiny of Europe, the
czar expressed the utmost confidence
in American delegates to stand by those
of Russia, England and France in Sc
curing the establishment of practical
system Of international arbitration for
all disputes turning on questions OF
law, Interpretation of treaties or inves-
tigation of questions of fact"
A MESSAGE TO THE CZAR.
Washington, May 1S.-The following
was sent by the president to
the czar: "On this day of good omen
1 send my heartfelt congratulations on
the opening of the conference at The
Hague, which had it's origin in the en-
lightened and generous initiative of
your majesty"