Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1906-04-09
HAGUE CONFERENCE.
UNEXPECTED MOVE MADE FOR
RECONVEN1ION.
Russia Makes Proposal to Powers
for Meeting Early in the Sum.
mer---Some Rapid Diplomatic
Maneuvering Likely in Conse-
quence.

edly the Russian government made an.
other movement toward the reconven.
ton of The Hague conference when
Baron Rosen, the Russian am bassador.
on Tuesday presented to Secretary
Root proposal for the reconvention
of the conference at The Hague early
ID the coming summer, and indicated
that the Netherlands government had
assented to the proposal.
The fact that Russia and the Meth
erlands have agreed makes it probable
that other signatory powers to the
original Hague convention which &C.
cepted the invitation to attend the
next conference will agree to the pro-
posed date, although the short period
of time available will make it neces-
sary for some of the powers which
have given little attention to the sub
ject recently to do some rapid diplo-
matte work in order to arrange pro-
grams according to their own desires
1t is certain that the proposed Rus
sian program. as conveyed to the state
department by Baron Rosen, while not
meeting positive objections, will at
least call forth some projects differing
materially in scope and detail from
the Russian plan.
The Russian program provides that
all political questions shall be exclud.
ed from the conference and makes
these provisions
Amelioration of provision of the
convention concerning the settlement
of international controversies so far as
the court of arbitration and the inves.
tigation committees are concerned.
Additions to the laws and usages of
land warfare, among others the open.
ing of hostilities, rights of neutrals on
land, declarations of lSs9-renewal
Of one of them.
Compilation of international Code.
Compilation of convention regard.
ing the laws and usages of naval war.
fare, such as bombardment of forts by
naval forces, location of torpedoes,
change of merchant vessels into war.
ships. private property of belligerents
at sea, time allowed merchant vessels
to leave neutral or hostile ports after
the beginning of hostilities, rights and
duties of neutral at sea-among others
the question of contraband rules to
which belligerent vessels must submit
in neutral ports, destruction from IN.
comfortable causes of merchant vessels
captured as prizes.
Into this convention would be in
serted provisions concerning land war.
fare which would apply to naval war.
fare; supplements to the convention
for the adaptation to naval fights of
the principles of the Geneva conven-
tlon held in 1864.
A casual review of the proposal
discloses nothing that is calculated to
arouse opposition on the part of the
United States government, but unless
the Algericas conference has materi-
ally modified the views of certain of
the great European powers, there is a
notable Discrimination to enter into
any engagements that would further
restrict the independence Of action Of
a power in international matters.
The first paragraph of the Russian
pr )gram is regarded as tending toward
the restriction in that it makes it
easier for powers to engage in media.
ton or arbitration and in consequence
enables a majority of the powers to
force a settlement upon one of their
number when it would much rather
protract the use of diplomatic measures
even to the verge of forcible compul-
sion
Several of the Russian proposals are
really in substance the same as those
proposed by The Hague conference it..
self as proper for consideration at an
other conference, but there is a sug.
gestion of the last great war in the
reference to regulation for Opening
ho~tilites. for the Russians have
never admitted the legality in inter.
national law of the japanese attack
upon the Russian warships in Chemul.
DO harbor and at Port Arthur, with
out. as it was asserted. due notice.
The suggestion relative to the rec
ignition Of private property rights in
shipping aHI cargo will find ready ia
vor with the state department, for this
government has been foremost in ad-
yocating this for many years.
Reservation and Townsite Bills.
Washington, April 5.-ln the house