The morning news., 1899-04-24
THE czAR,s PEACE CONFERENCE

| Holland, next month. The commissioners
viii assemble in a quaint, charming old
town, in a delightful, peaceful month. The
| surroundings will be such as to make all
thoughts of war and carnage abhorrent;
the dreamy. artistic environments of the
commissioners will be such as to induce
in each one of them the opinion that. il
not into pruning hooks, the swords ought
to be beaten into bicycles, to conduce to
the better enjoyment OF the glorious spring
season.
There is every reason to believe the con-
ference will have full attendance. The
rarious countries have responded prompt
| ~. favorab'v cOurteously and sympa-
theticaliy to ne note of the Car propos-
ing the meeting. It might have been ex-
pected that such replies would be made 10
a man who, by the stroke of pen could
| put four millions of soldiers into the field
and cut the cables of a formidable fleet
| The probabilities are that about any other
proposition, not involving an outbreak of
war, which the Car might have made
would have been responded to with equal
promptness
But. is 1t likely that the conference, when
it has met at The Hague and sat it's ses-
sions out, will have accomplished any
thing beyond learned, academic discus
| sion of the benefcence of peace and the
horrors of war? 1t viii unquestionably
! be shown that many. of the European
| countries are literally staggering under
the immense load of militairism, and that
backs must break unless the load be light
ened. But will the emphasizing of this
fact result in the tightening of the load?
1t must be borne in mind that the Cars
proposition is not, as seems to be very
largely understood, that each nation shall
lay down its arms and retire its soldiers
to peaceful pursuits. The meeting is Of
ten spoken of as a disarmament con-
| gress." but IL is not to be such. The pro-
posal Of the Car does not even go to the
| extent of a reduction of ornaments, but
| advocates only pause, a halt, in the in
crease of ornaments. In other words. a
| status quo, to be maintained indefinitely.
is the idea. That is to say, the weaker
nations. like Italy, Spain, Turkey, Rou-
mania, Greece, and the Others shall main
tain their present back-breaking burdens
and mark time. while the great Powers,
| such as Russia, Germany, England and
France pause and catch their sec
ond wind. The maintenance of the status
quo might suit the purposes of Russia
better than 1t would suit her for the pres
ent rate of arming TO go on.
! The Gear IS, to all intents and purposes.
the host of the peace banquet that is to be
| spread at The Hague. What is the state
of mind of the host as he proclaims peace.
or rather, a step to the end of secur
I ing permanent peace? A glance at what
his government is doing is sufficient 10
| indicate what he thinks of his own propo-
sition. Since the PRONUNCIATION of the
Cars peace note, the Russian army has
been increased by two army corps. many
millions of money have been spent in pro-
viding the troops with new and more for
mdable arms. while a scheme for extern
sive naval increases has been laid down.
And If the host Is insincere In his in
tentions, how can it be expected that the
guests will be otherwise? The budgets of
the great Powers all show large funds
for military extension. Each will send
one or more erudite and eloquent COM
missions to The Hague to talk peace;
while the arsenals and the shipyards az
home are kept running at full speed.
1t is probable that Baron Won Stumm.
in the German Reichstag some time ago
expressed the real attitude of each Power
respecting the matter of the Cars con-
ference. Speaking in favor of the pass
age of the pending military appropriation
bill. he said it should be passed at once
because, if the Cars proposition for
suspension of military increase should be
adopted, or If it should be ordered bv the
Powers as result of the conference that
a reduction of say 10 per cent. should take
| place, sit is clear that that country will
fare best which has made the most prog
ress In Its military preparations" And
that, probably, illustrates and iluminates
the whole matter. The Powers, in their
desire for a suspension or reduction of mill
itary forces, occupy pretty much a simi-
lar position 90 the cotton planters of the
Southern states of this country, who hold
+, frequent conferences to discuss plans for
a reduction of acreage and output. Each
planter is willing to admit that the acre
age is too great, and that it ought to be
reduced. But when the time for reduc-
ing comes, each one hopes that his neigh
Dor will feel constrained to reduce. while
he himself will plant larger, and thus reap
large results. And that is the case with
the Powers. Each one sincerely wishes
the others would quit making new and
improved ordnance and new ships. and
putting more men into the field. meantime
itself straining every muscle toward pro-
viding itself with a larger and more pow
erful fighting machine.
The real test of the sincerity of the
Powers that will take part in the confer
ence is to be found in their appropria.
tons; and there is not one of them that
has not made or is not making arrange.