Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1898-09-01
UNIVERSAL PEACE.
The Car of Russia Invites a Con
ference to Bring 1t About.
THE TEXT OF THE NOTE ISSUED.
The Reduction OF the Excessive Armaments
May lie Possible and tho Crushing Bur
dens Upon the People LIghtened-
Important Effects Expected.

st. Petersburg, Aug. 90 by order of
Emperor Nicholas Count Muravieff,
the foreign minister, on the gath inst.
handed to the foreign diplomats at st.
Petersburg note declaring that the
maintenance Of peace and the reduc-
ton Of the excessive ornaments now
crushing all nations is the ideal for
which all governments ought to strive.
The ear considers the present moment
favorable for the Inauguration of
movement looking TO this end and in
vites the powers to take part in an in
ternational conference as a means of
thus insuring real and lasting peace
and terminating the progressive in
crease of armament The text of the
note follows:
The maintenance OF general peace and the
possible reduction Of the executive armament
which weigh upon all nations present them
selves In existing conditions to the whole world
as an Ideal toward which the endeavors OF oil
governments should be directed The human
itarian and magnanimous Ideas OF his ma
1esty, the emperor, my august master. have
been won over to this view In the conviction
that this lofty aim is in conformity with the
most essential interest and legitimate views
Of all the powers; and the imperial govern
ment thinks the present moment would be very
favorable to settling the means
international discussion Is the most ef-
fectual means of insurng all peoples benefit
n real, durable peace, above all putting an end
TO the progressive development Of the present
ornaments In the course OF the last 20 years,
the longing for general appeasement has grown
especially pronounced In the cOnsciences OF
civilized nations and the preservation OF peace
has been put forward as an object Of interna-
tional policy, 1t Is In It's name that great
states have concluded among themselves
powerful alliances II is better to guarantee
peace that they have developed In proportions
hitherto unprecedented their military forces
ana still continue to increase them without
shrinkage from any sacrifice. Nevertheless,
oil these efforts have not yet been able to
bring about the beneacent result desired
qualification,
The financial charges following the upward
march strike ut the very root OF public pros
perlty. The intellectual and physical strength
OF the nations, labor and capital, are mostly
diverted from their natural application and
are unproductlvely consumed. Hundreds OF
millions are devoted to acquiring terrible en-
gineS OF destruction, which, though to-day re-
gardcd as the last work Of science, are destined
tomorrow to lose all their value In conse-
Quence OF some fresh discovery In the same
field. National culture, economic progress and
the production OF wealth are either paralyzed
or checked in development Moreover in pro-
portion as the arguments OF each power In
crease they less and less fulfill the object the
governments have set before themselves,
The economic crisis due in great part to the
system Of ornaments, loutranoe, and the con-
tinual danger which lies In this masslng Of war
material are transforming the armed peace Of
our days into crushing burdens which the peo-
Piles have more and more dificulty in bearing,
II appears evident that, II this state Of things
were 10 be prolonged, 1t would inevitably lead
to the very cataclysm II is desired to avert, and
the horrors whereof make every thinking be-
ing shudder In advance. To put an end to these
increasing ornaments and to seek the means
Of warding off the calamities which are threat
enlng the whole wOrld-such is the supreme
duty to-day imposed upon all states.
Filled with this idea, his majesty has been
pleased to command me to propose to all the
governments whose representatives are ac-
credited to the imperial court the assembling
of conference which shall occupy Itself with
this grave problem. This conference will be,
by the help of God, the happy presage for the
century which Is about to open. II would con-
verge into one powerful locus the enortS OF all
states sincerely seeking to make the great con-
ception Of universal peace triumph over the
elements OF trouble and discord. and 1t would.
at the same time, cement their agreement by q
corporate concentration OF the principles of
Europe and right wherein rest the security of
states and the welfare OF peoples
IMPORTANT EFFECTS EXPECTED.
London, Aug 90. The czar's PROPOSE
tion for an international conference
for the purpose of securing real and
lasting peace among the powers and
the termination of the progressive i'm
crease in ornaments, as conveyed in
note from Count Muravieff, the Rus
sian foreign minister, to the foreign
diplomats at St Petersburg, is likely
to produce a sensation throughout
Europe and, coming from such quar-
ter and with such evident sincerity of
purpose, it is likely to have important
effects. There is no doubt that, with
Russia taking the lead in such a step,
Germany, France and the other nations
will be ready to follow.