| Show LQOKS WELL fOR PESCE MEETING 4 V Mediation and Arbitration Is Put to the Front CLOSE TO BRITISH AND AMERICAN VIEWS t These Will Take Important Part In Study of Question + All Delegates Including Technical Representatives to Take Part In DiscussionsOpening Speech of I the President Baron de Staal Was i not Made PublicNext Sitting of the Conference Not Yet Set Artistic Ar-tistic Fete to Be Given The Hague May 20The second sitting sit-ting of the peace conference took place this morning and lasted thirtyfive minutes The president of the conference confer-ence Baron de Staal read of the replies re-plies of the czar and Queen Wilhelmlna to the telegrams sent them by the conference con-ference on Thursday The president then addressed the delegates on the subject of the labors before them and it was decided not to publih the speech The president proposed the adoption of arrangements for the committees which was agreed to without discus blon Baron de Staal further proposed that although the principle cf pccreo should be maintained communications might be made through the press bureau bu-reau subject to the approval of the president This was also adopted The Delegates Separate At the conclusion of the conference today M de Staal Sir Julian Paunee fote the British ambassador at Washington Wash-ington and the head of the British delegation and the United Ststtcs ambassador am-bassador at Berlin Mr Andrew n White head of the American delegation delega-tion with several of the other chief delegates returned to The Hague for lunch M Bourgeous formerly premier pre-mier of France and head of the French delegation and almost all the technical techni-cal delegates who will form a part of committees remained at The House in the Woods to draw up certain lists They were occupied also with the organization or-ganization of committees The proceedings today passed off without any Incident Only the president presi-dent spoke the others manifesting their approbation by slight disci t murmurs Several of the chief delegates are leaving The Hague for a few days pending the preliminary work of the commission Baron de Staal during the course of the day received the following dispatch dis-patch The emperor begs you to be the Interpreter In-terpreter to the conference of his sincere sin-cere thanks and warmest wishes My august master charges me to Impress upon your excellency how much his majesty is touched by the telegram addressed ad-dressed to him MURAVIEF Mediation and Arbitration It was learned during the day that M dc Staal placed the question of mediation me-diation and arbitration in the forefront fore-front during his speech today The question of the las of war rendering war as humane as possible by the extension ex-tension of regulations already existing was then touched upon by the president presi-dent and he relegated the question of the reduction of the armaments to the third place This modifies the order in which the three points are placed in the circular of the Russian minister of foreign affairs af-fairs Count Muravlef but it has the merit of corresponding more closely to the views of the delegates and it is now considered certain that mediation j and arbitration will have the chief II conference place in the work of the Further the opinion is unaimous that the American and British delegates will take the most important part in the study of this question The conference decided today that all delegates including the technical rep esentatives are to participate in the j V sittings and John in the discussions I The date of the next sitting has not I yet been fixed It depends upon the V progress which will be adopted by the Ii j committtees I M De Staale announced today that i the government of The Netherlands I would give an artistic fete on June 16 I I in honor of the conference |
