The Topeka state journal., 1899-05-18
Universal Peace Congress Called
by Gar Nicholas
Began It's Session at 2 O'Clock
This Afternoon
AT DUTCH CAPITAL.
City Is Brilliantly Decorated
For the Occasion.
Newspaper Reporters Are to Be
Carefully Excluded.

ference called by the czar of Russia
was opened at O'clock this afternoon
in the hall of the Huis Ten Bosch, or
the House in the Woods two miles
from The Hague.
NJ. De Beaufort, president of the coun-
ell, minister of foreign affairs of the
government of the Netherlands deIiv-
cred the inaugural address and well
coined the delegates.
The city is brilliantly decorated with
foreign flags, denoting the various ma
tional headquarters. Last night NJ Van
Karnebook, former Dutch minister of
foreign affairs, gave a dinner to intro
duce the foreign delegates. The re-
porters will be admitted only to hear
the inaugural address,. Three conlIn1s-
siOners will be named to arrange pro-
grammes for discussion. The first
lates to restrictions of armaments and
military expenditure. The second deals
with the law governing civilized war
fare, and the third with mediation and
arbitration.
A great mass of diplomatic docu-
ments will be submitted on these SUBJ
jects-documents including the memoir
andum of Prince Metternich, of Aus
tria, in 1916. regarding the suggestion
of the prince regent of England, sup
ported by Alexander I. of Russia for
international peace conference; the
opinions of David Dudley Field of the
United States as to fixing of perman-
ent limit to military forces; the argu-
ment of NJ. Merignhac in favor of sim
uIIaneOuS disarmament, the proposals
of Napoleon III. to cOnvOke European
peace conference at Paris in 1863 and
similar papers.
The second commission will consider
the declarations of the congress of Paris,
1850, and the Geneva convention, 1864,
the unratified clauses of the Geneva
convention of 1868, the acts of the St.
Petersburg convention prohibiting the
of certain projectiles by civilized
nations, the minutes of the Brussels
conference of 1874, the suggestions of
and observances of war; the rules for
the bombardment of cities adopted by
the institute of international law in
Venice in 1896. the declarations Of
France and Great Britain regarding the
unadopted rules of the Geneva conven-
ton; the views of the Amsterdam
chamber of commerce, approved by sue
cessive Netherlands foreign ministers.
urging the adoption of the minutes 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,
relating to the adoption of the people of
inviolability of private property and
urging a clearer definition of the term
contra hand of war"
The third commission wifi consider
the proposals of Lord Clarendon at the
Paris congress in 1856 for the interme-
diation of a friendly state previous to
a recourse to force, the motion of Signor
Mancini in the Italian chamber of dep
uties in 1875 in favor of arbitration, the
acts of the Berlin and Zurich confer
ences compromise and mediation,
David Dudley Fields plan for an arbi-
tratiOn tribunal. the proposal for the
arbitration tribunal for the North, Cen
trail and South American states adopt
ed in Washington in 1890, the Marquis
of Salisbury's letters to Sir Julian
Pauncefote in 1896, relating to the con-
clusion of arbitration treaty between
Great Britain and the United States
and the terms of the ratified Anglo
1nT~in1 a ms T
un1ents.
M De Staal will open the conference
by summarizing the objects of the
gathering and expressing the conf
dence of Emperor Nicholas that the
powers will support the beneficent
work of the conference. After the APP
pointment of the commissions, the con-
ference will adjourn for a week.
The American delegates, it is under
stood will carefully abstain from mix
ing in purely European questions but
will take an earnest part in the dis
cussion on the application of arbitfa-
ton and improvements in the Geneva
rules for the protection of field hospl-
tails, giving also special attention to
the abolition of privateering and the
exemption of all private property from
seizure. except cOntraband of war, this
policy being the same as that adopted
by Benjamin Franklin in negotiating
the treaty with Frederick the Great
and successfully urged by President
James Monroe, James Buchanan, Ben
jamin Harrison and W1lllam Mchln-
ley.
MKINLEY'S MESSAGE.
Washington. May 18.-The following
ca blegram has been addressed by the
president to the Emperor of Russia, on
the occasion of the opening of the dis
armament conference:
Washington, d. c., May Is. 1899.
To His Majesty. Nicholas II. Emperor
of all the Russias, st. Petersburg.
On this day of good omen, send my
heartfelt congratulations on the open
ing of the conference at The Hague.
which had its origin in the enlightened
and generous initiative of your ma
jesty (Signed)
VIM. MKINLEY.
DELEGATES TO THE CZAR.
The Hague. May 1S.-The delegates
decided to send the following telegram
to the czar:
''The peace conference lays at the feet
of your majesty its respectful congratu-
lations upon the occasion of your birth
day and expresses its sincere desire to
cooperate in the great and noble work
in which your majesty has taken gen.
erous initiative and for which it begs
you to accept its humble and profound
gratitude"