The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-30

Continued from Page Twenty-six.
sncy towards 1oddering ON his legs. But.
despite his age. ne has no tendency to-
ward senIstty in his mind. He exhibited.
however. some unique and eccentric ideas
81 the duties OF a presiding officer. He
opened the session by striking his desk
a gentle tap with his gasei There was
no prayer. there were no opening exsr-
c4ses whatever except the wooden nlaalers
blow. Then he sat down and left tho
delegates 20 their own devices. There was
no getting the floor" there were no par
Tia uaentary practices az ali, The delegates
simply talked In French with an occasion
al lapse into their native tongues. Al
times. under this system the conference
became a perfect babel.
None Of the sessions were lengthy. and
the way III which they Were termsna ted
was quite as unique as the manner Ia
which they We're opened. NJ, de Siaei
would quietly slip out Of his chair and
60 away. Sometimes this merely meant
that he wished 10 speak 10 a delegate on
the door or visit a committee room. But
IL |; CHARGED that he thought that the
delegates had talked long enough. he did
NOT return. Of course IL was impossible
for the delegates 10 know II his absence
was TO be brief or permanent without
waiting for him 70 come back If, after
staei did not reappear the delegates went
home
Votes were taken I'm the simplest manner
possible. A motion having been read, DE
Stael asked the delegates II they liked Il
Some OF them said yes. some Of them said
no. DE Stasi gave a fairly close guess as
rs the number on each SIDE and the fate
Of the motion was decided. Such was the
procedure of the peace conference from
the beginning.
There was as little Of ceremony about
the way IN which the delegates were
treated by the Dutch government as there
was about the way Ina which they con-
dueted their deliberations one or two
official receptions and dinners. AT which
Hollands charming LITTLE queen played
her part pleasantly, as she ever does. com
stitut.d all the official entertaining.
The United States ST America may feel
perfectly certain tina. its interests have
been guarded carefully. and that !ts dig
nifty has been preserved, and that iis m
fuence On this most Important int.rna-
tsonal movement, has been felt as strong
ty, II not more strongly. than that or any
other nation represented
While | am writing this ii looks as Il
practical provision fer mediation and AZ
bttTation will really b. incorporated into
international law Hon. Seth Low. whose
influence toward good International gov
eminent has been sNertE1 at The Hague
with as much earnestness as he ever ex-
erted toward the PRONUNCIATION Of his ideas
Of good government IN municipal, state or
national matters at home, expressed 10
me this op!nion:
ut must he by the route Of mediation
and arbitration. that Will recognize the
suteriapendence Of nations, that the world
VIII progress toward the poets dream Of
the parliament Of man In the meantime
! think the steps likely TO be taken will
aerend so entirely upon the voluntary ac-
lions Of the nations that no reaction Is TO
he dreaded, In other words. | think Ne
shall give popular opinion a chance easily
90 substitute arbitration for war. and. this
being done. pablo opinion must DO the
rest
with as the member OF lis delegation
next most important 20 Andrew ID. White.
it's chairman. man with ideas rs simple
and as sensible these. America would
need 20 have no fear IF the record she
would maize AT the peace conference. even
without the alI-seelng and aIi-managiug
SECRETARY Hollis without the greatest ma
val expert sn the world. Capt. Alfred r.
Mahan. aud without the .ntimate knowl-
edge II military affairs possessed by Capt,
William r Crozier. II is Impossible 10
doubt that the business-Iike attitude tax
On from the first by the American and
British delegations. has done more than
any other one thing 20 save the conference
from practical failure.