The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-18
UNITED STATES
CARRIES POINT
lnvl0IabiIity of Private Property
at Sea Finds Favor at the
Peace Conference.
GREAT COUNTRIES OPPOSED
QUESTION OF LIMITATION OF
ORNAMENTS.

The Hague, July IA vote upon the
principle of the American proposition re-
garding the inviolability of private prop
erty at sea was taken today by the COM
mittee of the conference dealing with
the Geneva convention. Twenty-one dele
gates voted favorably, eleven were
against the measure and there was one
absentee. Great Britain, France, Russia,
Japan, Spain and Portugal We're in OPP
position, while the Triple alliance, al
though Germany made reservation, was
among the majority.
Belgium presented a compromise pro-
pOsal, but Joseph II. ChOate of the
American delegation, refused to accept it,
saying that inasmuch as a majority adj
mitted the principle of immunity, he
could not consent to the limitation of
this idea, especially as Great Britain and
Russia already had declared they would
not accept 1t in any form. This made
unanimity impossible.
Professor De Martens (Russa), who
presided at the meeting, called attention
10 the fact that although the American
proposition was supported by majority
of the votes passed. the population of
the countries voting against the principle
was numerically largely in excess of
those faVOring il.
Vote by Countries.
The vote on this principle by countries
was as follows:
Germany. Austria : Hungary, Italy,
T I"Il1el iaiiu' uLheS' 9Meuen, Norway
bOurg, Cuba, Brazil. Uruguay, Ecuador.
Hayti, Dominica, China, Siam and Persia
voted with the United States.
Great Britain, France, Russia, SPAIN
Portugal, Montenegro, Japan, Mexico. Co
lombia, Salvador and Panama voted
against her
Chill abstained from voting.
The population of the countries favor
ing the American proposition amounts to
S04 900, 600; that of the countries against
it to rs. OO0, 600 people.
Professor De Martens said further that
the United States proposal did not have
majority Of population if China was
substracted.
Several delegates proposed the discus
sion of intermediary propositions made
by Belgium, Holland and Brazil. To this
Mr.. ChOate said:
We carried the vote with an enormous
majority. Having had the whole, why
should we take half?'
NJ. NelidOff has sent a circular note to
the delegates complaining of the publ
cation of documents of the conference
intended to be secret and renewing his
recommendation to secrecy
Complaint of Salvador.
Senior Mathew, the delegate from the
republic of Salvador, has issued a state
ment denouncing the aggression of Me
aragCa against Salvador. particularly the
recent landing at Acajutla and the sack
ing of the town of SonsOnale
Efforts are being made to bring about
an understanding with regard to the Brit
iSh and German propositions for a su-
preme prize court, through an intermedi-
airy Italian suggestion which provides for
a permanent tribunal by grouping the
states according TO their tonnage and al
lowing them proportional rights in the
appointment Of the judges comprising the
tribunal This court, il is suggested.
should include two admirals-s to be ap-
pointed by the belligerents, the admiraIS
TO be present as advisers and not as
judges
Limitation of Armaments.
Marcy Won Kapos Mere (Austria) and
Count ToTnelh Qtaly) followed the exam
pie of Baron Marschan Won BieberStein
(Germany) in their reference to the Brit
ish proposition regarding the limitation
of ornaments which is to be presented
by Sir Edward Fry at the next plenary
sittinEs of the conference. This places
SignOr Tittoni, the Italian minister of
foreign affairs in a somewhat embar-
IasSing position. He is personally in IA
vor of the British proposal, but he can
not ignore the attitude of his allies in
the Triple alliance. The United States
and Spain favor the English views on
this matter. NJ. NelidOff however. does
not think that Russia can support the
idea of limiting ornaments at present, in
view OF the condition today of her army
and navy as a result of the Russo-Japa-
nese war. NJ. Bourgeois (France) person.
ally favors limitation, but the French
government regards this question aS AGA
demic and impracticGble.