The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-04
BOTH RUSSIA AND
FRANCE OBJECT
One American Proposition at
Peace Conference Meets
With Strong Opposition.
SUBCOMMITTEE SESSION
SPEECH BY M. BAERNERT, WHO
PRESIDED.

The Hague. July 3.-The subcommittee
Of the peace conference on the ameliora-
ton of the rules of land warfare met this
afternoon. NJ. BaeTnert, who presided,
made speech showing the progress made
in the rules and usages of war through
The work of the first peace conference.
N. Bustamente CUBA presented prop
osition regarding the amelioration of the
treatment of prisoners and the Organiza-
tiOn of a bureau aiming TO keep COM
plete record sheet for each prisoner.
Holland presented two propositions one
TO prohibit the use of force to induce the
population of a town TO give an enemy in
formation about the armed forces of the
country and the other prohibiting the in
Fiction OF capital punishment without the
sentence Of a regular cOurt-martial having
been ratified by the commandments.
German Propositions.
Germany made the following PROPOSE
lions:
VOLUNTEER forces must be provided
with uniforms visible at a distance. except
in the case Of a rising of the population
In such cases the people must carry arms
openly.
Nobody shall he forced to fight
against his own country.
3.-The iuviolability of private property
on land shall be extended to contractual
obligations.
Spain proposed that all prisoners. except
officers, may be employed on military
works.
Proposed Prize Court.
Germany presented to the sub-commit-
tee on the proposed prize court a prOpO-
EitiOn in six articles, establishing that
arms and war materials be considered as
COntraband of war, including ShOtgunS. a
list of these arms ard war materials must
be sent to the neutral powers at the out
break Of war. Such COntTaband of war
and also the vessel carrying it are sub
NJ cct TO cOufiscatiOn, except in cases in
y which the captain of the ship can prove
that he was ignorant of the real nature Of
his cargo. If one vessel carrying contra
band of war has soldiers on board the lat
ter are to be taken prisoners,
Strong, Opposition.
The opposition To the American propo-
sitiOn on the inviolability of private prop
erty at sea is increasing. II now seems
that Russia and France are not even in
favor of the Italian amendment, suggest
ing that belligerents be allowed to cap
tUTe private property at sea, but that such
property be returned after the war and
that the owners be paid an indemnity
. for the damage.
Japan is preparing a proposition regard
ing the use Of wireless telegTa ply, based
on her experience during the RusSO-Japa-
nese war. while others are DESTROYS of pro-
posing that submarine cables must be
classes as neutral property
Abolition of Ransoms.
The Japanese have not presented any
proposition regarding the bOmbardment
Of towns but nave asked the Americans,
who in their proposition desire to prohibit
the bOmbardment of towns for not paying
ransoms, TO propose the abolition OF the
payment of ransoms in order to escape
bombardment.
Miss Anna Eckstein has requested an
audience of President Nelidoff in order to
present a petition, signed by over two
million Americans, in favor of a general
arbitration treaty. NJ. Nelidoff will re-
Ceive Miss Eckstein tomorrow.
New Propositions.
Two new propositions have been brought
forward in connection with the proposal
of the United States to prohibit the bonn
bardment of towns for failure to pay ran
som. That made by Spain says:
The Spanish delegation, although &C
Cepting the American proposition, thinks
it desirable to establish what constitutes
a reasonable ransom and that the refusal
10 pay such ransom should render the
town liable to bombardment The dele
cation believes such ransom should be
paid according TO current prices and he
limited to such provinces as the belllgeT-
Cuts' warships are entitled to receive In a
neutral port"
The other proposition is made by Hol-
land who calls attention to the fact that
ports. towns and villages may sustain
damage as a result OF a bOmbardment of
military or naval edifices in their vicinity.
Holland proposes that towns may be
bOmbarded after due notice If they refuse
to supply such provisions as may be rea-
sonably necessary for the naval forces of
the enemy, but bOmbaTdment for refus-
ajng to pay ransom to make a war con-
t~ibution is to be prohibited, Holland,
4 Ike Russia, proposes in the case Of bonn
7 hardment. that churches, hospitals,
schools etc. be spared, but only on con-
ditiOu that these edifices be not used for
military purposes, in which case this fact
must be signaled beforehand to the COM
msndeT of the naval force of the enemy.