The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-07-06
CONFERENCE AT THE HAGUE
THE Il dlfERIC1N DELEGATES SCORL
GREAT SUCCESS.


in Time OF War, TO a Special Confer
ence to be SUNNI ed Hereafter-Mnny
Obstacles Had 80 be surmountcd.
| The Hague July 5.-The American
| delegates scored great success to-day
in obtaining from the peace conference a
unanimous vote in favor Of having the
question of private property at sea in
time of war dealth with at a special
| conference to be summoned hereafter.
Much diplomatic management was nec-
essary and many obstacles had to be
surmounted before this result was
reached.
| The second committee met this morn
| ing and Andrew d. White, head of the
American delegation, broached the SUBJ
| ject. The question of it's admssibility
under the conference mandate was dis
cussed. No vote was taken, but an
| agreement was arrived at to allow the
Americans to present their case in full
Immediately the Americans would
doubtless have carried their point by
majority of one or two and to avoid
this a resolution was proposed recogniz-
ing the importance and complexity of
the question and recommending the
summoning of a special conference.
At the afternoon sitting of the COM
mittee-the successive clauses Of the
laws of war having been adopted-M. De
Martens of the Russian delegation NOV
ed resolution to that effect. Mr..
White seconded it. In the course of
clear and eloquent statement of the
American case, he said the United States
government had accepted the invitation
to participate in the conference with
alacrity because of the opportunity it
was expected the conference would af-
ford for preaching the true faith re-
garding the immunity from capture of
private property at sea. He admitted,
however, that the United States govern
ment recognized it would be hopeless to
expect any decisive result from this con-
ference.
This was owing to three causes first,
absence of instructions from powerful
governments; second, doubts as to the
competence Of the conference, and third.
the length of time necessary for a dis
cussion Of all the bearings of the case
Mr.. White frankly admitted the diff
culties but insisted that these supplied
one of the best arguments for full and
prompt discussinon. The suffering and |
losses which seizure entailed were i'm |
mense while the effect upon the ulti- |
mate result Of war was almost nothing |
Referring to the experience of the !
United States in the war of the rebel |
lion, he said that only three Confeder-
ate cruisers did anything of Importance, |
but they captured 169 vessels, quad |
rupled the rate of insurance between |
America and Great Britain and caused |
the transfer of half million tons of |
shipping to British bottoms. The final
result was that the whole American ma
rine was virtually swept out of exist
enCe.
IF that resulted from the operations
of three poorly equipped little steam
ers' he continued what would happen
with the means at the disposal Of the
greater nations to-day? Yet every one
knows that this privateering had not
the slightest effect in ending or even
the war; nor would it have
had any, even # the losses had been ten
times greater. The only real effect is
gained by warships in maintaining a
blockade. Nowadays the transfer of
goods by land is SO general that inter-
ruption by sea as a rule does nothing to
the ending of war but that
may destroy accumulations
Of human wealth and skill requiring a
tion to make good, while the
losses cannot be confined to belligerents
alone, but must effect more or less di-
rectly the whole world"
Mr. White warmly repudiated the
,upposition that the American were ami
mated by selfish considerations. They
we're eminently practical, he said, but
deals not less pre-eminently devoted to
great ideals This he illustrated by re-
'erring to the sacrifices made during
he civil war and the devotion of the
Americans to arbitration. But the ques-
ion he was urging upon the delegates,
e said, was one of right, justice and
progress for the whole world and this ,
I'll Americans felt deeply. Nor could
he acceptance of the American propos-
{ would strengthen ALL Mr.. White
concluded with an eloquent appeal to S
he iurists, dplomatists and statesmen Il
# all nations assembled in the confer
nee to take the subject under careful
consideration, declaring, in the words
f Count Nesselrode, that "the addition n
f this principle to international law t
would be crown of glory to the :
worlds diplomacy"