The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-05-21
The Proceedings Of Yesterdays Meeting
Without Special Incident.
The President of the Congress in a
Speech Before the Delegates,
Places the Question of Media
ton and Arbitration in the
Forefront, RELOCATING to Third
Place the Question of Disarma-
ment.

n Il f1AG II, MAY ~ idlS SVSOiiO
sitting of the Peace Conference took
place this morning and lasted thirty
five minutes.
The President of the conference,
Baron de Staal, read the replies of the
Car and Queen Wilhelmina to the tele-
grams sent them by the conference on
Thursday.
The President then addressed the del
egates on the subject Of the labors be-
fore them, and it was decided not to
publish the speech.
The President proposed the adoption
of arrangements for the committees,
which was agreed to without discus
sion.
Baron de Staal further proposed that,
although the principle of secrecy should
be maintained, communications might
be made through the press bureau, sub
ject tic the approval Of the President.
This was also adopted.
AT the conclusion of the conference
to- day NJ. de Staal, Sir Julian Paunce-
fote, the British ambassador at Wash
ington and the head of the British dele
cation, and the United States Embassa-
dor to Berlin, Andrew D. White, head
of the American delegation, with sew
| eral of the other chief delegates, re-
turned to The Hague for lunch.
But NJ. Bourgeois, formerly Premier of
France and head of the French delega-
ton and almost all the technical dele
gates, who will form part of commit
tees remained at The House in the
Woods to draw up certain lists They
were occupied also with organization of
committees.
The proceedings to-day passed off
without any incident. Only the Presi-
dent spoke, the others manifesting their
appreciation by slight, discreet r2ur-
murs
Several of the chief delegates are
leaving The Hague for a few days,
pending the preliminary work of the
| commission. Baron de Staal, during
the course of the day, received the fol-
lowing dispatch:
THE Emperor begs you to be the in
| terpreter to the conference of his sin
| cere thanks and warmeSt wishes. My
august master charges me to impress
upon your excellency how much his
majesty is touched by the kilograms
addressed to him. MURAVIEFF."
1t was learned during the day that NJ
de Staal placed the question of media
ton and arbitration in the forefront
during his speech to-day. The question
of the laws of war rendering war as
humane as possible by the extension of
regulations already existing was then
touched upon the President, and he rel
egated the question of the reduction Of
the ornaments to the third place
| This indication modifies the order. in
which the three points were placed in
the circular of the Russian Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Count Muravieff. but
| it has the merit of corresponding more
closely to the views of the delegates.
and it is now considered certain that
mediation and arbitration will have the
chief place iR the work of the confer
ence. Further. the opinion is unani-
nous that the American and British
delegates will take the most important
part in the study of this question.
The American members Of the COM
mittees are: Disarmament-Mes
! White, Mahan and Crozier. Laws of
War-Messrs. White, Newell. Mahan
and Crozier Arbitration Messrs.
White, Low and Hollis.
The committees will meet for the first
time on Tuesday. The eight points
enumerated in Count Muravieffs cir
cular for their consideration have been
distributed among the committees
They are as follows:
The Disarmament Committee will
consider: First, the limitation of ex-
penditure; second, the prohibition of
new firearms: third, the limitation of
the use of explosives; fourth, prohibi-
ton of the use of submarine boats.
The Committee on the Laws of War
fare will discuss: Fifth, the applica-
- = ~ a. iFfif'iiT
warfare; sixth, the Naturalization OF
vessels in an engagement While engaged
in saving shipwrecked men during and
after naval engagements; seventh. the
revision of the declaration of Brussels
of 1874 on the notification and customs
of war.
The Committee on Arbitration and
Mediation will deal with the eighth
question of Count Muravieff's circular.
The British members of the Arbitra-
ton Committee are Messrs. Pauncefote
and Howard.
The conference decided to-day that
all delegates, including the technical
representatives, are to participate in the
sittings and join in the discussions.
The date of the next sitting has not
yet been fixed 1t depends upon the
progress which will be made by the
committees.
NJ de Staal announced to-day that
the Government of The Netherlands
would give an artistic fete on lime 18TH