Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-05-18
FOR PEACE.
The Worlds Delegates Have
All Arrived at The
Hague.
M. De SyAAL, PRESIDENT.
The inaugural Address to be Delivered
by NJ. De Beaufort-Thrse Commis-
sions to be Formed to Arrange Pro-
grammes For Discussion
The subj bjects.

The Hague, May 17.-All the delegates
TO the international peace conference ha\ Q
arrived. To-day was spent in a general
exchange of visits.
The permanent president of the confer
ence will be NJ. De Staal, Russian Am
Dassador to Great Britain and the head Of
the Russian delegation. The honorary
chairman, who will open the proceedings
Will be M. De Beaufort, president of the
council and minister of foreign affairs of
the government Of the Netherlands.
The city is brilliantly decorated with
foTeisn flags, denotins the various ma
tlonal headquarters. This evening NJ Van
karnebeck, former Dutch minister of foe
eign affairs, gave a dinner to introduce
the foreign delegates.
The reporters will only he admitted to
hear the inaugural address of NJ. De
Beaufort. who is excluded from opening
the discussion of the Cars project. Thre e
commissions will then he named to ar
range programmes for discussion. The
flrst relates to restrictions of armaments
and military expenditure. The second
deals with the laws governing civilized
warfare, and the third with mediation and
arbitration.
A great mass of diplomatic documents
Will be submitted on the subjects, docu-
mentS including the me morandum of
Prince Metternich of Austria. in 1916, le-
Barding the suggestion of the Prince Re
gent OF England supported by Alexander
/ oil Russia, for an international reacc
conference; the opinions of Mr. David
Dudley Field, of the United States as to
fixing permanent limit to military
foices; the argument of NJ. Merignhac in
favor of simultaneous disarmament: the
proposals of Napoleon III to convoke a
European peace conference at Paris in
1865, and similar papers.
The second commission will consider the
declarations of the congress of Paris 1880
ana the Geneva convention 1864, the un-
ratified clauses of the Geneva convention
of 1865 the acts of the St. Petersburg con-
vention prohibiting the use Of certain pro-
Jectiles by civilized nations, the minutes
OF the Brussels conference of 1871 the
su" vestions of the oxford manual regard
ing the laws and observances of war; tee
rules for the bombardment of cities adopt
ed by the institute law in Venice in 1896
the declarations of France and Great
Britain regarding the unadopted rules Of
the Geneva conference. The views of the
Amsterdam chamber of commerce, APP
proved by successive Netherlands foreign
ministers urging the adoption of the min
utes Of the Brussels conference of 1874
dealing with the laws and observances of
war, which did not lead TO the conclusion
OF any convention; and the circular of the
Dutch minister of foreign affairs in 1871 re-
lating to the adoption of the principle
of inviolability of private property, and
urging clearer definition of the term
'contraband of war
The third commission will consider the
proposals of Lord Clarendon at the Paris
Congress in 1856 for the intermediation of
n friendly state previous to a recourse to
force, the motion of Signor Mancini IN the
Italian Chamber of Deputies in 1S75 in ia
vor of arbitration, the acts of the Berlin
ana Zurich conferences on compromise
and mediation. Mr.. David Dudley Field $
plan for an arbitration tribunal, the pre-
posals for an arbitration tribunal for the
North, Central and South American States
adopted in Washington in 1890. the Mar
quis of Salisburys letters to Sir Julian
Pauncefote in 1896 relating to the concl-
sion of an arbitration treaty between
Great Britain and the United States, tho
terms of the unratified Anglo-American
arbitration treaty and many similar docu-
ments.
NJ DE Staal will open the conference by
summarizing the objects of the gathering
and expressing the confidence of Emperor
Nicholas that the powers will support he
benefcent work of the conference. After
the appointment of the commissions thu
conference will adjourn for week
The American delegates, it is understood
will carefully abstain from mixing in
purely European questions but will take
an earnest part in the discussion Of the
Application of arbitration ana improve
ments in the Geneva rules ;or the protec-
ton Of field hospitals, giving also special
attention TO the abolition of rc'ivlteering
and the exemption of all private property
from seizure except contrlband of war.
this policy being the same as that adopt-
ed by Benjamin Franklin in negotiating
the treaty with Frederick the Great and
successfully urged by Presidents James
Monroe, James buchanan, benjamin Har-
rison and William Mckinley