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Show ' : VATICAN IN THE PEACE CONFERENCE. Rome, Oct. 25. The Italian government expects to receive in the near future the programme of subjects sub-jects to bo discussed by the second peace conference at The Hague, called by the Emperor of Russia. It is thought that the conference will meet next spring and that Russia will be represented by a delegation headed by M. Nelidoff, Russian ambassador at Paris, and M. De Martens, former professor of international in-ternational law at the University of St. Petersburg. Pour parlors have passed between The Hague and, Rome regarding the participation of the vati can in the conference. When the first conference was convoked Emperor Nicholas, who was on very cordial terms with Pope Leo, sent to the Vatican a note identical with that addressed to all the powers. The Italian, cabinet, which then had General Velloux at its head, successfully took the ground that the presence of a papal delegate at the conference con-ference would be offensive to Italy, and would be interpreted as the recognition of the Pope as a temporal sovereign. Great Britain assisted in this opposition, asking Italy in return to support her in having matters regarding the TransVaal and the Orange Free State excluded from discussion. As a protest against its exclusion the Vatican withdrew with-drew from The Hague Mgr. Tarnassi, the Papal internuncio, who afterward died, it was believed from grief. Now that the relations between the Italian government gov-ernment and the Vatican have become somewhat ameliorated, the cabinet of Premier Fortis has no objection to the Vatican being invited, but a plausible plaus-ible reason must be found for the change so that what was in 1899 a victory for Italian diplomacy should not now appear to be a defeat or to be due to a too good understanding between church and state which both have no desire to emphasize. Besides, for the Vatican, as well as for the south and Central American republics there is the difficulty diffi-culty that the second conference must be opened by delegates of countries which participated in the first, and these delegates will decide whether other delegates shall be admittd. It is expected also that at this time the admittance of the Vatican will be especially opposed by France. |