Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-10
WILL Co TO THE HAGUE
John w. Foster Appointed a
Delegate From China.
Mr.. LU PROBABLY WITH HIM
Next international Conference Expect
ed to Meet in May.
GAME OF FRENCH sWINDLERS
Play Upon the Vanity Of American
Inventors-Rich Harvest Said to
Have Been Garnered.
Mr.. LU PROBABLY WITH HIN
GAME OF FRENCH sw1NDLERs

| Have Been Garnered.
| BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.
| written for The Star and the Chicago Record
| Herald.
| The Official Gazette at Peking which, by
| the way, is the oldest newspaper in the
world, having been printed for more than
5000 consecutive years, with scarcely an
interruption, frequently contains news of
! interest to the people Of the United States,
although its circulation on this side of the
Pacific is limited to the Chinese legation
In Washington and the various Chinese
consulates throughout the United States 1t
publishes all the edicts of the emperor and
empress. the orders and regulations of the
court and reports the movements Of promi-
nent officials of the government and the
social festivities about the Forbidden city
very much as The Star handles social and
| official occurrences at the American court
| A recent number of the Official Gazette
| contains an edict Of the empress dowager
! and the emperor appointing Mr. John W.
| Foster Of Washington, formerly Secretary
OF state, ambassador to several foreign
capitals, member Of various international
| tribunals and a citizen of no mean city.
| delegate from the empire Of China to the
| approaching international conference at
The Hague. It appears that Mr.. Foster
! was nominated for this distinguished honor
| in memorial addressed to the throne by
Mr. Wang Tah-sich, Chinese minister at
London, according to the usual custom in
| such matters. The memorial was considered
by the cabinet at Picking, the recommends
ton was adopted and submitted to their
| matesties, who were graciouSly pleased to
make the appointment and the following
| announcement was published in the Official
Gazette:
| Official Announcement.
| THE board Of foreign affairs. to which
| was referred on the eleventh day Of the
| third month. In the thirty-second year of
| kwang-hsu, by imperial command, pre-
sented by Wang Tah-sich, envoy extraor-
| binary and minister plenipotentiary to
| Great Britain. proposing the name Of John
w. Foster. counsel Of the legation at Wash
lngton. for appointment as delegate to the
| approaching international conference at The
| Hague, respectfully submits the following
| report:
1.-THE convention for the pacific settle
The Hague was on the twelfth day of the
| sixth month last presented by this board
| to the throne for ratification SO that China
might become a party to the convention,
and a copy of the convention ratified
has been duly deposited with the govern
| ment of the Netherlands in accordance with
| the stpulations thereof.
"A conference having been called for the
coming summer or autumn, it is important
that delegates to this conference should be
persons of known competency in questions
of International law. and the highest moral
reputation. Now Minister Wang has pro-
posed the name Of John w. Foster for ap-
pointment as representative of China at
the conference. Mr.. Foster is an authority
on international law, and counsel of the
legation at Washington has repeatedly rem
dered signal services to the imperial gov
eminent It is. therefore, recommended
that John w. Foster be appointed a dele
l. gate for China the af
Hague, SO as to secure his valuable
sistance. Upon the approval of this rec
| concentration the board will officially notify
the ministers to the United States and to
The Netherlands, and instruct either of
them to inform Mr.. Foster that he should
act accordingly.
resentative to the international conference
at The Hague Is respectfully submitted to
the empress dowager and the emperor for
| their majesties' consideration on this TWEEN
| ty-frst day Of. the third month, In the
second year Of Kwang-hsu.
| thirty-second year of Kwang-hsu.
| month. in the thirty-second year Of Kwang
| hsu, imperial sanction was given to the
above representation.
| Mr.. Fosters, associate will probably be
MI. Lu, the present minister of China to
The Netherlands. who served in the same
capacity at the late meeting of that tribu-
nal. Mr.. Lu Is regarded as a very able
| man. and is an especially fine scholar in
French. DR.. Andrew D. White. late Ameri-
| "reminiscences recently published refers to
| him in very complimentary manner, and
says that he made the best speech of any
| foreigner. who appeared before the tribunal
of The Hague at its recent meeting.
The Hague Conference.
The next International conference is ex-
pected to be held in May, 1907, although
no official announcement has yet been made.
It would have been held last summer but
was postponed at the request of Secretary
Root for fear 1t might conflict with the
meeting of the international conference at
Rio de Janeiro. The Chinese government
Is deeply interested in the proceedings Of
the next conference because 1t will consider
many important questions suggested by the
war between Russia and Japan. which was
fought on Chinese territory. 1t Is expected
that the tribunal. representing all the civil
lied nations of the world, will adopt some
kind of q code to govern similar situations
In the future, to define the rights and limit
the authority of belligerents who OCCUPY
neutral ground. It will doubtless determine
also to what extent such belligerents can
use neutralS within their lines, and to what
extent neutrals may assist the belligerents.
new definition of neutrality is very much
needed and there Is an imperative necessity
for an international law protecting the
non-contraband property of neutrals during
war. The experience of the United States,
Great Britain and other countries during the
recent war in the east requires this.
Gen. Foster has been counsel OF the
Chinese legation In Washington for twenty
years. except during several intervals when
he was Secretary of State under the Harri-
son administration or has been engaged in
diplomatic negotiations in behalf of his own
government. He was the adviser Of the Chi
nese commissioners in their negotiations for
peace after the war with Japan in 1895,
and his services were satisfactory to both
sides that he was afterward entertained
and honored at Toxic by the Japanese quite
Dali