The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 14, 1899, Page 18

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, MAY 14, 1899 Most Notable Gathering of Its Kind Ever Held in the World | Ninetee Europe:.n States, the United States of Americ, Siam, Persia, China and Japan Have Been Invited by tie Czar to Send Delegates | to the Big Peace Cong ess to Be Held Next Thursday. or other simllar engines of destruction. Britain, despite her traditional hostility| no doubt as a serlous deterrent from | Captain William Crozier, ordinary de- ‘0 give an undertaking not to construct to i w he burdens imposed by this | partment, United States army, military To gt dertakl t ussia. 5 ar. But t 1 1 by th partment, 1 8 1t sideration by the powers, to be discussed | Vesscls with rams In the future. Scores of meetings in favor of the plan| Dprocess on the populations affected must, | attache; Captain A. T. Mahan, United | at the conferenc o apply to naval warfare the stipula- have been held in England to adopt reso- | If prolouged, produce a feeling of un- navy (retired), naval attache; and tlons of the Geneva conventlon of 1864 lutions to be forwarded. to Lord -Salis- rest and discontent menacing both to in- ck W. Holls of New York secr: anding not to incre: in the s ;»r :4:' articles added to the bury urging the most hearty co-operation. ternal and external tranquility. tary. President McKinley takes little i v.|l the present effoc convention of 1863. Meanwhile the Premier had already| Al} this, time Russia, Germany, France ! torect in the disarmament proposition, r e military ‘and _naval To neutralize ships and boats employed | promised the sympathetic action of her | and England have been increasing their | .., ine the forces of the United S ; i same time not to In saving those overbourd during or after | Majesty’s Government. In his reply to|appropriations for armaments, only Great f, e, el they should be. The o Gttt means 1 e alses s dearath UG, Orst airpular gt . Britain having publicly nags )‘l‘"' Pros- | United States delegates are expected to liminary exemination he mear o raise the declaration concernirg S : -ctive expenditures conditional on the et < ' which a reduction might even be effected the laws and customs of war elaborated The statements which constitute the pective expenditure: s ain from sion of any purely in the future in the forces and budgets t 1874 by ithe "confersnce - of | Drussels, grounds of ‘the Bmperor's. proposal-are results of -the conference. ropean questions, but will advocate im- above menticned | as remained unratified to the bt loorinellpjustifed-CLILiis juntortu- v | Italy Causes Friction. provements in the Geneva rul | nately true that while the desire for the 1 S » aly’: fus 0 ti field osp! s and € b r : i nt da Friction arose over Italy’s refusal to | tection of field hosr and the abol To prohibit the use in the armies and a8y maintenance of peace.is generally pro- | L IlC S tative to the conference if | tion of privateering, couplhd with immu- fleets of any new kind of firearms what- st in principle the employment fessed, ard while, In fact, serious ana | Send a representative o b i | Ml N s e oises of noncontEs ever and of new explosives, or any pow- good offices of mediation and successful efforts have on more than one | the Vatican were allowed to “r, "“[‘; F b o e : 3 ders a n those now facultative arbitration in cases lending recent occasion been made with that ob- | The Quirinal took the ground that a Pa-jband pr J‘; sl Pankcefots in use, either for rifles or themselves thereto, with the object of Ject by the great powers, there has been ' pal delegate at the conference would! Great Britain—Sir a auncefote, AT WHOSE INYITATION THE IPEACE Y CONGRESS (S HELD o« T2y 120 2t \) W 3 THE HOOSE IN TH! WQ00S “ PALACE o be he Hague next Thurs | day, Ma going to be merely a | ant junket for a lot of nice old emen, who will pass harmless again unmaov 1ing of one of the ban horr most ificant chapters in the world's pistory” Outside the circle of those who are es- pecially interested there seems to be only vague notion about the imjportance of coming event. As the affair is being cted wholly by the various Govern- , comparatively little has been said it, Governments not being much to taking the public into their con- For this unique meeting, fraught with untold, incalculable nossibilities for the future of the world, the favorite palace of Q n Wilhelmina of Holland has been che Hardly more imposing than the | country residence of many a wealthy | commoner, the Huis Ten Bosch, or House | in the Woods, is surrounded by nature un- | adorned, in striking contrast to her | clipped and artificlal garb as it is gen- | erally found in Holland. | Most remarkable in its interior is the | Orange Hall, where the conference will | probably hold it essions. This is an oc- | tagonal chamber, with walls fifty feet | high. Light from a cupola and side win- | dows sets off work of the most famed ters of the Rubens school, including st allegorical painting of the apothe- of Prince Frederick Henry by Jor- daens Elsewhere in the palace are rooms con- taining costly presents to past Princes of Or: ge from such Oriental potentates as the Mikado, the Emperor of China and the Viceroy of Egypt and the East lnd(;\{ Company 1 the dining-room are mar- | painted by Jacob de Wit alf of the last centu en velous illusior first in t the closest inspection of which shows them not to be the bas-reliefs that their | mythol 1 subjects are made to ap- | pear. There are, too, Chinese tapestries of rice paper dating from the eighteenth century. The prevalent tone of the place | 18 one of cultured taste well worthy of the House of Orange Whether it be decided to treat the dele- | gates as national guests and distribute | them among the half dozen so-called pal- | aces of The Hague, ranging in age from | three generations to three centuries, or whet! did hotels, they will be well lodged in this land of solid comfort ‘What Will the Conference Do? Europe is on the tiptoe of inferest, and that attitude is shared by mang here, to what will be accomplished by this unique gathering. Will it be the ruling influence in future history? Will it be the most colossal farce of the age? WIIl it prove for good or {112 r they be left for the city's splen- see and so various, are the questions asked by eager curfosity. And none can answer in advance. But the hope of all and wme expectation of most is that the mere fact that an assembly of this nature l might impede its work. f could be summoned by a sovereign r\f[ uch sort must be an influence for good. On August 26 last the world was startled | by publication of the news that the Czar— absolute monarch of one of the most heavily armed nations—had issued an ap- peal to the powers for a reduction of ex cessive armaments and the maintenance | of peace. Through Count Muravieff, For-| eign Minister, the Czar handed a note to | the diplom in St. Petersburg, placing | his ideal before their rosp.u‘m Govern- the ments. Here are some of passages | from his appeal: i International discussion is the most effective means of 0IE's; benefit—a real, ~de | all putting an end to the progressive ¢ velopment of the present armamen | In the course of s the longing fo t has grown esp cons and the preservation of peace has been put for ward as an object of international pol ¥. It is in its name that great ave concluded between themselves po erful alliances. It is the better to guarantee peace that they have developed in proportions ences of hitherto unprecedented their military forces, and still coptinue to increase them without shrinking from any sacri- fice. The financial changes following the up- ward march strike at the very root of public prosperity. Moreover, in propor- tion as the armaments of each power in- crease they less and less fulflll the object the governments have set themselves. snomic crisis, due in great part of armaments ‘“a 1l'ou- lies in this massing of war material, are transfdrming the pcace of our days into a crushing burden, which the peoples have more and more difficulty in bear- ing. To put an end to these ncessant arma- ments and to seek the means of warding off the calamities whicl are threatening the whole world, such 18 the supreme duty to-day imposed upon all States. Czar’s Motives Discussed. Then began a discussion as to the good faith of a ruler who dared thus to voice the opinions long held by all ropean | governments. Scoffers scoffed at the idea as utterly futile. Dreamers dreamed that they al- ready saw the dawn of the millennium. Some declared the suggestion preposter- | ous. Others hailed it as already fulfilled. Conservative folks thought the experi- ment was worth making, whatever its result, since nothing could well be worse than the endless chain of progressive tax- ation binding the hands of commerce in a peace only less exacting than war. And everywhere the tendency was for the overburdened people to favor the plan and for cynical officialdom to deride its feasibility in secret, while outwardly bow- ing to popular demand. And so matters dragged along until on the eve of the new year Count Muravieff, at the Czar's behest, addressed another circular to the powers, with the sugges- tion that the conference be not held in the capital of any great power, where many political interests center which T SALON WHERE THE CONGRESS WILL MEET To restrict the use in military war- fare of the formidable explosives already existing, and to prohibit the throwing of projectiles or explosives of any kind from balloons or by any similar means. To prohibit the use in naval warfare of submarine torpedo boats or plungers preventing armed conflicts between na- tions; an understanding with respect to the mode of applying these good offices, and the establishment a uniform practice in using them, Nowhere did the Czar a more hearty respon s proposition find than in Great !’,\lw. 0 \:-fl;,' Whl A ) l‘u AL et 4y H. j The S x Delegates of the United States to the Gzar's Peace Congress at Thz Hague. Next Gathering of Its Kind a constant tendency on the part of al- most v nmation to increase its armed force and to add to an already vast ex- penditure on the appliances of war. The perfection of the instruments thus brought into use, their extreme costli- ness and the horrible carnage and de- struction which would ensue from their employment on a large scale have acted COQCOOOO00000000000030000000000000000CO0000C00O0CO000000 HOW TRADE with the PHILIPPINES has INCREASED HE American occupation of the Philippines has established an export trade from San Francisce direct to Manila for the first time in the commercial history of this city, and this imparts some interest to cold figures. Since Oriental exports from San Fran- cisco began the books of the Custom- house have been bare of the word of “Manila” up to the time that 20.000 American soldiers with Yankee wants went into camp there. Up to that time whatever little jugs of canned goods, etc., strayed into Manila from here al- ways went billed to Hongkong, whence a trifling proportion sometimes leaked down to the Philippines. With Septem- ber last the Custom-house auditor put a Manila column in his books, and its total for that month was $984. For Oc- tober the showing was $6476, and for November $19,709. December will show another large increase. These totals represent merchandise billed direct to Manila, and do not in- clude goods intended for Manila but billed to Hongkong for transfer: neither do they include any of the Government stipplies sent in transports. In Novem- ber there was shipped from San Fran- cisco to Hongkong for Manila consump- tion 54,000 dozen bottles of beer. valued at $40,735. The value of this one item was more than double the total ship- ments billed direct to Manila. Smaller amounts of other merchandise were similarly billed to Hongkong for Ma- nila. There is thus no possibility of getting exact figures unless they come from the Custom-house at Manila. Hongkong is a free port, and statistics are not compiled there. In estimating the significance of this new trade it must be borne in mind that it has and will have two causes. One is the demands of the American army and navy there, outside of what are met by the quartermaster and com- missary departments, and the other is the patronage of the permanent popu- lation. The boys in duck are, so far, cause of this increased trade. The steamer Hupeh, that sailed a few ays ago, carried 3500 casks of beer and 0 gallons and 62 cases of wine. In November the wine billed direct to Ma- nila was valued at $2600, and ‘much whisky has been forwarded. There are plenty of Yankee saloons in Manila now, and the advertisements of Ameri- can cocktails look odd a1 the papers from there. Canned meats and ham and bacon made up nearly half the November direct shipments and this seems to con- firm suspicions about the rations. Other items were drugs, malt, milk, butter, ete. These things with a large varfety of general merchandise are typical of the trade. It will vary as the army of occupation. How the natives and Spanish are taking to American goods is not re- ported. Manila shopkeepers in catering to the soldier trade are getting in American goods more or less and this gives' them an inch of foothold that will spread, and it makes the strange things known. They are bought now and then out of curiosity, at least as the great American cocktail is curi- ously sampled. Merchants here real- ize that the army is a big band of drummers for American goods. The average patriotic soldier will recom- mend something American whenever he gets a chance among Spanish or Fil- ipino acquaintances and things Ameri- can will thus be more rapidly knitted to the population. There has been a remarkable dispro- portion between Unrited States imports and exports in the Philippine trade. In 1896 America imported $2,701,651 worth of hemp and $1,199,202 worth of sugar the and little else, the total being $4,383,740. Spain was hardly a better customer. Our total exports of that year were: Cotton manufactures, $2164; oils, $45,908; varnish, $2239, and all other articles $44,286. Total, $94,597. Indirect exports via Hongkong would not increase this total much. Our monthly exports, ex- clusive of military supplies, are now probably larger. However, American trade is vet only «©n the skirmish line in the Philippines. ———— Anti-Marriage Glub N anti-marriage club, the existence of which has caused an upheaval in the city of Appleton, Wis., has for its purpose the abjuration of marriage among the bachelors of the place. The official name of this young men's organization is the Marble Heart Anti-Matrimonial Association of Apple- ton, Wis. Its members are called Marble Hearts, and the soclety has a regular constitution, by-laws and officers. Each member pays an initiation fee of $25 and annual dues of §10. All funds are banked and the expenses are nil. When a member joins he is bound by a most solemn vow not to marry, but should he break that vow he relinquishes all right to the funds of the organization. The last Marble Heart to remain unmarried is given all the funds of the society and may then marry if he wishes. The soclety has been organized for some time, but until a few days ago its existence was a secret, known only to the members. At first the number of Marble Hearts was limited to twelve, but this was enlarged so as to take in nearly all the young men of the city who are prominent in soclety. Those who are disposed to regard the affair as a joke should consult the young women or the Marble Hearts themselves. As for the former, they are banded in an organization, every member of which vows she will never, under any condi- tions, marry an Appleton man. As the glrls have not a roster of the antis, they ave included all the unmarried men of the city in their black list. i Thursday and Will Be the The Gongress Will Mezt Most Notable Ever Held in the World. | It is believed th mean the recognition of the Pontiff as a | temporal power such as he no longer Is. t it was to avoid the settlement of this dilemma and throw the onus on the host that the Czar asked Holland to send out the formal invits tions for the conference at The Hague. This point has apparently been settled by withhelding an invitation to the Vati- can, the Papal Internuncio having con quently been temporarily ~withdrawn from The Hague, though it is believed in some quarters that the French delegates will tell the conference that they also represent the Pope, and so new trouble with the Quirinal may arise. In this connection a militant Italian prelate, when the question' of Papal rep- resentation and the possible raising of the Pope's temporal pawer were under dis- cussion, recently said: ‘Whether we be invited or not, the re- sult will be the same. Why cry peace, peace, when there is no peace? The fear of reprisale for her theft of the Pope's domain drove Italy into the triple alli- ance and into ruinous military expendi- ture. Shall we sanction peace and dis- armament before the church has her own again? Crushed by her armaments, Ttaly is now tottering on the brink of destruction. Shall we stretch out our arm to save her? Never! Whether we are invited or not, your Russian ship of fools, with its Utopian crew, will be wrecked on the rock of St. Peter. In St. Petershurg a commission of jur- ists has been hard at work examining existing treaties between and - questions dividing the Powers to provide a source of ready reference and information for use at The Hague, where a self-denying ordinance will be sought from delegates, all anxious that any self-denial about the proceedings shall be equally distributed. It is understood that the conference will organize into three sections, chosen by lot, each having its own president and its own branch of work. One section will es- pecially consider disarmament or reduc- tion of peace effectives. Another will make arbitration its study, and the third will be the initiative body and also dis- cuss subsidiary questions. Their three presidents will form a board of arbitra- tion in the event of preliminary differ- | ences. Bach section will report to the full conference, to which all decisions will be left. The Delegates. Nineteen European States, the United States of America, Siam, Persia, China and Japan have been invited to send rep- resentatives. So far as at present known the delegates will be: United States—Andrew D. White, Em- bassador to Germany; Stanford Newel Minister to The Hague; Seth Low, pres ldent of Columbia University, New York; | Embassador to the United States; | Howard, British Minister to The Hagu Admiral Sir John Fisher and Majc al Sir John Ardagh. ia—Probably Baron de Staal, R Embassador to Great Bri Baron de Mohrenheim, formerly dor to France. France—Probably M. Hanotaux, Foreign ster, and Baron de Courcel, formerly mbassador to Great Britain. | Germany—Probably Baron Marschall or Prince Herbert Bismarck and Professor von Stengel. Spain—Probably Senor Polo v Bernabe, | former Minister to the United St Comte de Rascon, | to Great Britair 3 | Italy—Marquis Visconti Venosta, Minis- ter of Foreign Affairs in the late Rudiini | Cabinet, and probably Signor Ressmann. Switzerland—Probably M. Lachenal. o e ‘ Tolstoi - on the Peace Congress T is the return of the Utopians, declares the great modern apostle of peace, Istol, the man who gave the initiative in the matter to the Czar. For a third of a cen- | tury Tolstoi has with tongue and pen heen a constant advocate of the dis- banding of armies and the dismantling of navies. A peculiar interest attaches itself at this time to the views and expectations of Count Tolstoi as to what the results, | of its work will be. | At the time the circular of invitation to the nations was issued neither Tol- stol nor his teachings were in the en- | joyment of the Czar's favor; his writ- |ings were proscribed and forbidden | circulation under very heavy penalties | throughout Russia. | In the closing months of last year, }just after Count Muravieff’s memorable | | M peace circular had been addressed to the powers, Tolstoi’'s admiring and ap- preciative countrymen were preparing to celebrate in a fitting manner the seventieth anniversary of the birth of the great author of “War and Peace.” At the same time the imperial office of censorship sent out another circular forbidding any and all journals throughout the empire to ever mention the anniversary of Tolstol. ~ No manifestation was held in the whole of the Russian domain, though telegrams poured in from every other part of the civilized world, proving to Tolstoi the sincere admiration in which | he s held, recognizing him as the | real initiator of the new movement for universal peace and congratulating him on the visible fruit his teachings had | borne. | A visitor who lately went from Paris | to interview Tolstoi on the Peace Con- gress said: “I found him in a profound joy, caused, perhaps, by a little legitimate pride, in the fact that Count Muravi- eff's circular was but the echo of his own words and teachings. Interro- igaled on the subject of the proposed “What do | conference, he replied: 7| think? I think that it is a return of the Utopians. “For the first time a Government ac- cords its official support to those who in all civilized countries have been push- 1 ing forth the cry of ‘Guerre a la Guerre* | (War Upon War.’).”