AT THE HAGUE PEACE CONFERENCE: 1-1899 253 



In the afternoon our delegation met at the house of 

 the American minister and was duly organized. Al 

 though named by the President first in the list of dele 

 gates, I preferred to leave the matter of the chairmanship 

 entirely to my associates, and they now unanimously 

 elected me as their President. 



The instructions from the State Department were then 

 read. These were, in effect, as follows : 



The first article of the Russian proposals, relating to 

 the non-augmentation of land and sea forces, is so inap 

 plicable to the United States at present that it is deemed 

 advisable to leave the initiative, upon this subject, to the 

 representatives of those powers to which it may properly 

 apply. 



As regards the articles relating to the non-employment 

 of new firearms, explosives, and other destructive agen 

 cies, the restricted use of the existing instruments of de 

 struction, and the prohibition of certain contrivances em 

 ployed in naval warfare, it seems to the department that 

 they are lacking in practicability and that the discussion 

 of these articles would probably provoke divergency 

 rather than unanimity of view. The secretary goes on 

 to say that &quot;it is doubtful if wars will be diminished 

 by rendering them less destructive, for it is the plain 

 lesson of history that the periods of peace have been 

 longer protracted as the cost and destructiveness of war 

 have increased. The expediency of restraining the in 

 ventive genius of our people in the direction of devis 

 ing means of defense is by no means clear, and, con 

 sidering the temptations to which men and nations may 

 be exposed in a time of conflict, it is doubtful if an 

 international agreement of this nature would prove 

 effective. 



As to the fifth , sixth, and seventh articles, aiming, in 

 the interest of humanity, to succor those who by the 

 chance of battle have been rendered helpless, to alleviate 

 their sufferings, and to insure the safety of those whose 

 mission is purely one of peace and beneficence, we are in- 



