AT THE HAGUE PEACE CONFERENCE: 1-1899 263 



I pointed out to him certain clauses in the Mouravieff 

 circular which showed that it was entirely admissible. 



May 23. 



In the morning came a meeting of the American dele 

 gation on the subject of telegraphing Washington for 

 further instructions. We find that some of the details 

 in our present instructions are likely to wreck our pro 

 posals, and there is a fear among us that, by following 

 too closely the plan laid down for us at Washington, we 

 may run full in the face of the Monroe Doctrine. It is, 

 indeed, a question whether our people will be willing 

 to have matters of difference between South American 

 States, or between the United States and a South Ameri 

 can State, or between European and South American 

 States, submitted to an arbitration in which a majority of 

 the judges are subjects of European powers. Various 

 drafts of a telegram were made, but the whole matter 

 went over. 



At ten the heads of delegations met and considered a 

 plan of organizing the various committees, and the list 

 was read. Each of the three great committees to which 

 the subjects mentioned in the Mouravieff circular are as 

 signed was given a president, vice-president, and two hon 

 orary presidents. The first of these committees is to 

 take charge of the preliminary discussion of those articles 

 in the Mouravieff circular concerning the non-augmen 

 tation of armies and the limitation in the use of new 

 explosives and of especially destructive weapons. The 

 second committee has for its subject the discussion of hu 

 manitarian reforms namely, the adaptation of the stipu 

 lations of the Convention of Geneva of 1864 to maritime 

 warfare, the neutralization of vessels charged with saving 

 the wounded during maritime combats, and the revision 

 of the declaration concerning customs of war elaborated 

 in 1874 by the Conference of Brussels, which has never 

 yet been ratified. The third committee has charge of 

 the subject of arbitration, mediation, and the like. 



