The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-07-14
AMERICANS GAIN A POINT
WORK or PEACE CONGRESS AT
THE HAGUE
question Of Neutrality Of Commerce
Passed by Delegates, with Rcserva-
tons In Some Cases.

THE HAGUE, July 5.--The peace
congress today adopted i'm committee
| the American clause for the protection
| of commerce i'm time of war
The second committee met this morn
| ing and Andrew II. White, head of the
| American delegation preached the sub
| ject. The question of its admissibility
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
| this afternoon. Had a vote been taken
| Immediately, the Americans would
doubtless have carried their point by
| a majority of one or two and to avoid
| this a resolution was proposed recog-
nizing 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, NJ. de
| Mertens of the Russian delegation
moved a resolution to that effect. Mr..
White seconded it, In the course of a
clear and eloquent statement of the
| American case he said the American
Government had accepted the invita-
ton to participate in the conference
| with alacrity, because of the oppor-
| tunity 1t was expected the conference
would afford for preaching the truth
i
ture of private property at sea. He ad-
mitted, however that the United States
! Government recognized it would be
hopeless to expect any decisive result
| from this conference
The causes which will prevent a de-
cided result from this conference are
| Absence of instructions or power from
the governments; second, doubts as to
the competence of the conference, and,
third, the length of time necessary for
a discussion of all the bearings of the
case.
White frankly admitted the difficult
ties involved in deciding what consti-
tutes the contraband of war, but in
sisted that these supply one of the best
arguments for full and prominent dis
cussion. The head of the American del
egation concluded with an eloquent ap-
peal to the jursts, diplomats and
statesmen of all nations assembled in
the conference to take the subject I'M
der careful consideration, declaring in
the words of Count Nesselrode, that
the addition of this plea to Internal
ional law would be a crown of glory to
the worlds diplomacy"
NJ. Rahusen of the Dutch delegation,
supported White and suggested that
the governments favoring the idea
should conclude treaties among them
selves.
Sir Julian Pauncefote, head of the
British delegation, said that British
opinion was divided on the subject and
that he had no instructions regarding
it. In his personal opinion, the question
was outside the scope of the conference.
M. Bourgeois, head of the French del
eEation, and Captain Scheim, of the
Russian delegation, announced that in
the absence of instructions they could
not vote. The resolution was then put
and carried without opposition with the
reservations on the part of Great Brit
ain. France and Russia.
The committee also adopted a reso-
luton that the question of the deter
mination of rights ard duties of the
several states should be placed on the
program of future conference