Chapter II Address of President de to say that in accordance with the general law, diplo enter the domain of Utopia. In the work which we 1 This phrase was seized upon by the press as an indication of ambiguity, not to say duplicity, and the most unfounded and absurd attacks upon Russian diplomacy were founded on an evident misconception. Nothing could be clearer than that M. de Staal was referring solely to " ulterior hopes" of permanent peace, and not to advan tages of a political nature. 66 human family are ever becoming closer. A nation Chapter II could not remain isolated if it wished. It finds itself surrounded, as it were, by a living organism fruitful in blessings for all, and it is, and should be, a part of this same organism. Without doubt, rivalries exist; but does it not seem that they generally appertain to the domain of economics, to that of commercial expansion which originates in the necessity of utilizing abroad the surplus of activity which cannot find sufficient employment in the mother country? Such rivalry may do good, provided that, above it all, there shall remain the idea of justice and the lofty sentiment of human brotherhood. If, therefore, the nations are united by ties so multifarious, is there no room for seeking the consequences arising from this fact? When a dispute arises between two or more nations, others, without being concerned directly, are profoundly affected. The consequences of an international conflict occurring in any portion of the globe are felt on all sides. It is for this reason that outsiders cannot remain indifferent to the conflict-they are bound to endeavor to appease it by conciliatory action. These truths are not new. At all times there have been found thinkers to suggest them and statesmen to apply them, but they appertain, more than ever before, to our own time, and the fact that they are proclaimed by an assembly such as this, marks a great date in the history of humanity. "The nations have a great need for peace, and we owe it to humanity we owe it to the Governments which have here given us their powers and who are Chapter II Address of responsible for the good of their peoples - we owe it to ourselves to accomplish a useful work in finding the method of employing some of the means for the purpose of insuring peace. Among those means arbitration and mediation must be named. Diplomacy has admitted them in its practice for a long while, but it has not fixed the method of their employment, nor has it defined the cases in which they are allowable. It is to this high labor that we must concentrate our efforts - sustained by the conviction that we are laboring for the good of all humanity, according to the way which preceding generations have foreseen, and when we have firmly resolved to avoid chimeras, when we have all recognized that our real task, grand as it is, has its limits, we should also occupy ourselves with another phase of the situation. From the moment when every chance of an armed conflict between nations cannot be absolutely prevented, it becomes a great work for humanity to mitigate the horrors of war. The governments of civilized States have all entered into international agreements, which mark important stages of development. It is for us to establish new principles; and for this category of questions the presence of so many persons of peculiar competence at this meeting cannot be otherwise than most valuable. But there are, besides these, matters of very great importance, and of great difficulties, which also appertain to the idea of the maintenance of peace, and of which a consideration has seemed to the Imperial Government of Russia a proper part of the labors of this Conference. This is the place to ask whether the welfare of peoples does Chapter II not demand a limitation of progressive armaments. It is for the governments to whom this applies to weigh in their wisdom the interests of which they have charge. "These are the essential ideas, gentlemen, which should in general guide our labors. We shall proceed, I am sure, to consider them in a lofty and conciliatory spirit, for the purpose of following the way which leads to a consolidation of peace. We shall thus accomplish a useful work, for which future generations will thank the sovereigns and heads of state represented in this assembly. of Com "One of our preliminary duties in order to insure Appointment the progress of our work is to divide our labors, and mittees. I therefore beg to submit for your approval the following proposal. Three Committees shall be appointed. The First Committee shall have charge of the Articles 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Circular of December 30, 1898. The Second Committee of Articles 5, 6, and 7. The Third Committee shall have charge of Article 8 of the said Circular, and each Committee shall have power to subdivide itself into subcommittees. "It is understood that outside of the aforementioned points the Conference does not consider itself competent to consider any other question. In case of doubt the Conference shall decide whether any proposition originating in the Committee is germane or not to the points outlined. Every State may be represented upon every Committee. The First Dele Chapter II Communications to the press. Summary of the sessions of the Conference. gates shall designate the members of the respective delegations who shall be members of each of the Committees. Members may be appointed upon two or more Committees. In the same manner as in the full Conference each State shall have but one vote in each Committee. The Delegates, representing the Governments, may take part in all the meetings of the Committees. Technical and scientific Delegates may take part in the full meetings of the Conference. The Committees shall appoint their own officers and regulate the order of their labors." These propositions of the President were unanimously adopted. At the same meeting the President and the Bureau were authorized to communicate to the members of the press a summary of the proceedings of each Committee, it being understood that in other respects the rule of secrecy should be maintained. At its subsequent sessions the Conference adopted the reports presented by its various Committees, and an account of its work will be found in the following chapters under the appropriate heads. In the interest of historical and chronological accuracy it should however be stated that the Conference held ten sessions in all, of which the first two, on May 18 and 20, have been described above. At the third session, May 23, the various Committees were announced. At the fourth session, June 20, the report of the Second Committee on the Extension of the Geneva Rules to naval warfare was adopted, |