The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-07-01
EXEMPTION
OF PRIVATE
PROPERTY
Joseph III. Choate's Address Received
With Approval at The
Hague.

THE HAGUE, June 30.-The sit
the peace conference afforded an OPP
portlnity for Joseph H. Choate to
deliver an eloquent speech upholding
the exemption of private property, ex-
cept contraband, from capture on the
high seas. The success of his speech
left the impression that the Ameri-
can proposition, which in the confer
ence of 1899 was only taken for con-
sideration, will this time be approved
unanimously
The sitting began with the follow
ing question:
First. Do practice and legisla-
ton admit of blligerent states
Transforming merchantmen into war;
ships?
Second. In case of merchantmen
being transferred into warships, what
are the legal conditions which beliig-
erents will have to observe
Third. Is the present practice
relating to the capture and confisca-
ton OF merchantmen sailing under
hostile flag to be maintained or abol-
ished?"
Count Thorneilli, Italian, and Sir
Edward Fry, British, observed the
principle in the first question was
generally admitted, and thus it was
only necessary to define conditions
for the transformation of merchant
men.
Then began the debate on the ex-
emption of private property at sea.
Baron Macchio, Austrian, supported
the American proposition.
Senior Barbosa, Brazilian, gave a
ctr 49,
from the time of Benjamin Franklin.
and eulogized the position assumed
by the United States, which, he de-
clared, was the view of the whole
American hemisphere. He said that
when under the declaration con-
tanned in the treaty of Paris of 1856,
the signatory powers declared for the
p abolition of privateering, the Ameri-
qu m delegates refused to give their
tai sent on the ground that it did not
de- aclare expressly that private prop
e. rty at sea was inviolable. Senior
Barbosa concluded by declaring that
by orders of his government he asso-
ciated himself with the American
proposition.
Mr.. Choate then made a speech
based on the American declaration
at the conference of 1899. He re-
ferred to the different occasions in
which the United States had pro-
claimed her support of the doctrine
by treaties in 1875 with Prussia,
with Bolivia in 1858, and with Italy
in 1871.
lie enumerated the circumstances
under which this principle received
the approval of jurists and the SYM
pathy of nations, while eminent au-
thorities like Palmerston, Golden,
Bluntschlei, Nesselrode, Wolseley
and Martens had pronounced them
selves in favor of it.
Long before the first conference in
1866, Mr.. Choate said, Russia de-
clared the matter worthy of consid-
Grafton, saying that the success of
the American principle would be a
crown of glory to modern diplo-
macy" His survey showed that
the United States had followed the
same policy for over a century, ear
nestly urging in the first days of its
existence that the principle be
adopted.
lie recalled the vote OF the Brus-
sells conference in 1874 on the i'm
munity of private property on land
and asked that the same principle
be extended to private property on
the sea.
Mr.. Choate sought to prove that all
neutral powers were Interested in the
question and the tendency was to re-
strict war 10 its proper domain. The
priyateering of former years was
losing more and more in Importance
in view of the great technical per-
feetions OF the present day. The
speaker declared:
"One might say the game is begin
ming to not he worth the candle.
Mr.. Choate concluded by saying
that President Roosevelt attached
such Importance to the question that
he wished to evoke an expression OF
>, opinion on it by vote of all the
countries represented at the confer
ence Mr.. Choate spoke in English,
NJ. Fromageot, France, translating.
Count ThOrnielli said that Italy