Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-04

IN promoting the arts or peace ana VINO are
DESTROYS OF advancing the welfare of man
kind They enlarge the circle of interna-
tfonal acquaintance and tend to preserve
International amity. They emphasize the
fact that our common good Is to be promot-
ed by the maintenance of a broad. frater-
nal, international spirit While celebrating
upon methods to promote the efficiency of
the railway, let US hope that you may culti-
waite purpose to promote the adjustment.
through the arbitrament Of reason so far as
may be done consistently with national
honor. of. those perplexing problems which
sometimes arise to menace the worlds
peace. The nation which seeks an honor
able settlement of differences with it's neigh
bors in some other manner than by the
sword Is not decadent; 1t is not wanting In
national virility. 1t is merely manifesting
an advanced degree of civilization 1t is
evidencing the fact that the barbaric strain
has run out of its blood
Again permit to welcome you and to
express the confident hope that your DELHI
eratlons may be fruitful of good to the
great interests which engage your atten-
ton, and that in good time the international
railway congress may return and resume its
sessions in the United States"
Heads Of World Systems.
The formal opening of the international
railway congress today at the New Willard
means the bringing together In this city of
the heads of the great railway systems of
the world. In the gathering of the thou
sand or more delegates at the meeting this
morning there was represented thirty-seven
OF tie civilized countries of the earth, who
acknowledge to owe much of their progress
and development to the railroad The con-
gress carries on its rolls some of the great
est names in the railroad world and all of
IT'S members are men who have done things
In their respective countries and are in no.
s1tions that make 1t necessary for them to
be alive and alert to the necessities of mod
ern progress. The American contingent in
the congress, representing the United
states Canada and Mexico as well as some
or the South American countries makes up
ABOUT half of the organization for the sew
enth session. There are hundreds of Amer
lcan delegates who are admitted for this
session only. by reason of the fact that
The meeting is held in this country
Permanent Association.
The international railway congress- in the
words of the first article of it's constitu-
ZION, is permanent association establish
ed to promote the progress and develop
ment OF railways" 1t is composed of rail-
way administrations, either state or pri-
waite, which have formally declared their
adherence to this organization. and who
either own or work lines for public traffic
IN ADDITION, governments are represented
py delegates. Its meetings were formerly
nelu at intervals of two or three years but
IN later years the precedent seems to have
peen established of holding it's meetings
every five years
In the interim the affairs of the body are
so ;ieeu by a permanent commission con-
slstlng now of forty-eight elected members.
ohe-thiro OF whom retire and are replaced
at each session. The permanent officials
consist OF a president, two vice presidents
former presidents Of the congress ex ofTicfo
d secretary general, secretary trea
etc, these officials constituting the rer
Inanent stan for continuing the worll of
one session to the next and for publishing
the monthly Bulletin, which contains a com
plete record of the proceedings Of each con
sress and various papers, which are thus
permanently preserved.
Response by Mr.. Gerard.
MT. Gerard made short response to the
speech of the vice president in French. He
said in part:
twenty years ago Belgium solemnized
the fftieth anniversary of the opening of
the first railway to public traffic on the
continent. The Brussels to Malines line,
enacted by the law of 1884. was onened to
traffic in 1885, the i1lustrious George Ste
phenson being present
Belgium now possesses 1852 Kilometres
OF standard gauge lines and 2.722 klome-
tiers of light railways, most of them mar
row gauge, the latter feeding the former
the total being 1924 kilometers a SIS miIesi
OF steam-worked lines, conveying both mas,
sengers and goods. That is say. the
mileage of the steam lines system in pat
gum Is, in comparison to the Tertiary
more developed than the mileage of snv
other country in the world with a traffic
exceeded nowhere else. Moreover, there
are also 800 miles of light steam raiIwavs l.,
course of construction or approved
W hen celebrating in 1885 the fiftietb ar,
nlVersary in a railway congress atterSaa
. 10y oelegates OF nearly all the countries of
the world where railways existed an insH
luton was started which has since formed
the permanent railway congress
Inc city of Brussels was then selected
n fho
this technical institution
FROM this you will please understand.
gentlemen why as rule a Belgium mem
Der of the executive committee is in the
chair to open the sessions of the congress-
and, If l add that on account of its politi-
cal neutrality. Belgium is as much as pos
slpie, tree from the sensitiveness of inter-
national diplomacy, 1 should have laid be-
lore you the whole of the reasons which
caused me to be selected as the first dele
gate of the Belgian government, to act for
the absent authorities of the directing COM
mittee liz the fulfllment of this duty
Traditions and Recollections.
Being now introduced to you as persona
flying both these traditions and these ma
tional and historical recollections, I ven
ture, Mr.. Fairbanks, to bow to you and
beg to express on behalf of the congress
my best thanks for the great interest YOU
personally take in this institution and
likewise present our respectful homa ge IN
welcome us so cheerfully and to the dill
gent associate to the skillful brain who
presides over its destiny-your President,
Mr.. Roosevelt.
THE six first sessions Of the congress
were held in Europe, and on each occasion
the United States was worthily represent
ed. Now the congress is to meet in this
part of America which, if it is not literally
speaking, the birthplace of the steam rail-
ways, has nevertheless accomplished the
task of the most rapid development in rail-
way mileage extension and most striking
progress in their working. The large in
stallations of your railroads, your remark
able rolling stock, your celebrated works
for the construction of the same, your nu-
merous electric railways, with their most
powerful generating stations, both equally
designed on the latest and improved types
these are all things that we are anxious to
visit, and we trust that we shall find in
them the fruits of the most elevated and
practical views, with the advantage. rather
peculiar to your own couAtry, of being
enabled to freely and energetically realize
the boldest designs.
The discussions will begin on the twenty
important questions previously elaborated
in fOrty-Seven repOrtS Thus the delepa tes