The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-05-21
Participants in the Peace Conference.


There is a good deal OF significance In the
composition Of the official list OF the dele
gates to the conference at The Hague. We
nave in mind not only the countries which
nave been requested to send representa-
tives, but also those from which invitations
AVE been withheld.
The list Of States to which invitations
ave been addressed by the Netherlands
Government comprehends every European
country which enjoys independence or even
neutrality-suspicious., with the exception OF
the principality OF Monaco and the little re-
publics of San Marine and Andorra. Por-
tugal will be found to figure there. So will
Servia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro.
To Norway no separate invitation Is adj
dressed, because that country is personi-
fled. automatically, in the King OF Sweden.
In like manner, the many German SOW
ereigns, united in tho German Empire,
have their diplomatic spokesman in the del
egates OF Kaiser WILLIAM ii. The Papacy
can no longer lie described as n territorial
entity, but it is a political entity to which
many Ambassadors and Ministers are ac-
credited, and it would, undoubtedly, have
been invited to the conference but for
Italy's determined opposition. or Moham-
medan powers, Turkey and Persia are
represented, but not Morocco, Egypt or
Bokhara. 1t is probable that Morocco was
excluded because her sovereign maintains
no regular diplomatic intercourse with the
European world by means Of Ministers OF
his own, although he sometimes consents
to receive foreign ENJOYS. Egyptcould not
expect to be a participant, because she Is q
yassal, ~ostensibly Of the Sultan, and, &C.
tually, Of Great Britain. An application OF
the same rule bars out the Ameer Of Box
hara, who is a vassal OF the Gear and the
South Africa republics, which the Gar
holds to be, for diplomatic purposes.
q vassal OF England. For a like rea-
son the great. feudatories in the Anglo
Indian Empire are omitted from the list.
The invitations sent to China, Japan and
Siam are noteworthy, as attesting the adj
mission OF those Far Eastern countries
within the circle of European comfy and
international consultation.
But Of all the American republics, the
United States alone have been requested to
send delegates. This, although Brazil and
Mexico are each scarcely less powerful than
is Spain, while Argentina could make short
work OF Portugal on Of any Of the Danubian
p~rincipalitiss. 1t is, also, true that Chill or
Venezuela Is OF more present or prospective
Importance to the world than is Siam. New
ertheless, by the Gar, and by the Neither
lands Government which has acted as his
mouthpiece, all the American republics, with
| the exception OF the United States, are treat
ed as non-existnt from a diplomatic point
OF view. That lis to say, they occupy in the
eye OF the Cars diplomacy the relation to
! the United STATES that the Dominion OF
| Canada and Egypt occupy to Great Britain,
and that Bokhara occupies to Russia.
There is, ~ofcourse, no ground for such dis.
| elimination in the case Of the Latin-Ameri'
can commonwealths, for many Of them are
represented by Ministers Plenipotentiary
in foreign countries, and Mexico sends an
Ambassador to Washington. Apparently
the Car has determined to ignore that
fact and to assume that a position Of
subordination has been practically accepted
since the establishment Of the Monroe Doc
trine through E%ngland's consent to arbi
trate che boundary Of British Guian at the
word Of the United States. On no othel
theory can We explain the exclusion OF Bra
zil and Mexico from a conference in which
Persia and Siam are suffered to participate
While noticing this remarkable compost
ton Of the conference. we must OF course
disclaim the existence of such a situation
as the Ozar. doubtless with the friction ovel
the Philippines in mind, has been pleased
to suggest.