The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1899-06-15
PRESENT DAY THOUGHTS
About The Holland Conference.
DISCUSSIONS FOR PEACE.
BY G. cGosvENoR DAVE.

Written for The Commonwealth.
BY the time this article is read the
wonderfully turesIue gathering in
Holland, of delegates from all civil
lied nations for the purpose of discuss.
ing various phases Of Peace will haye
scattered. Whatever may be the out
come Of this gathering, the building
in which the delegates met must for
ever he regarded as sanctifed by one oi
the most remarkable international
movements that Las ever taken def
mite shape amid the restless and antag-
onistic nations of the world. It is a
proclamation that all nations are grad
ually coming to sense of the unity
of mall-and of the rights of the Oh
scure nlan-who, by the way, has al
ways borne the most arduous brunt
and burden of tie battles of men. To
the young Gar of Russia, son of a
father who was himself power for
peace in Europe, all honor is due for
not being content merely with his own
inner leanings towards peaceful devel-
opment, but for being willing to run
the risk of misunderstanding and OF
suspicion in trying to convert others to
his own way of thinking.
~
Pausing for moment t. consider
the nation OF which the Gar is the
head, it is strange, but nevertheless very
fitting, that the proposal for disarr'a-
inent and arbi tration should come from
a nation whose very yastness is enough
to permit it to oyerwhelm all other
nations that would meet it on land
Judged by ordinary standards, no ma
tion could have less to fear from the
continued armament Of Europe, ard
tneref. re no nation had less need t.
suggest disarmament. [ speak, o1
course, from the point Of view of its
cornpact .nd cou,}nueei4 territory, its
vast reserve supply of men, and its
climatic conditions, but of course, not
from tho viewpoint of its bonded in
debtedness, which is very great indeed,
aid actually exceeds that OF France.
Reviewing now scLic OF tie work OF
the Peace Conference. it is very note
worthy that the United States, fresh
from successful warfare and flushed
with conquest, should have been able
to bring before tile conference plan
for arbitration that secured more ap-
proval than the plans submitted by
others. This is not peculiar, for our
nation has not yet run short, and ney-
er will, Of far-seeing men whose vision
extends beyond conquest to uplift, and
beyond Immediate gain to future glory.
TiougI, all that we have done during
the cast year has, So far as the national
heart is Concerned, been done well
and been done for the best, national
vision is not at all blinded to the fact
that there will be greater glory to us II
the history OF the next hundred years
should show our natlon-greater III
some particulars than Russia-to have
believed more III preventing conflict
than IN p:ecil,itating it.
X.
The results Of the conference will
not be Immediately visible to the
great hurrying world, because from the
pressure of daily life and events, the
mass of us lose sight OF movement
as soon as our textbooks, the news
papers, cease making comments upor
it. It will not be surprising, therefore
if there should arise lull Of interest
but this will be apparent rather thar
real for each set OF delegates will re
turn with report to its home govern
ment, and out of these rerorts will &c
velop correspondence hack and fortl
In relation to the future offensiye ane
defensive plans of each government
,fhe result will be increasing lnterna
tional understanding and the gradua
evolution of ideas, by which in futur'
1isputing nations will find it NOR
than eyer difficult to go to the extrem
of actual battle. Five years or tel
even will not be to, many before W
can hope for the creation and the main
tenance Of good working plan amon
the great nations OF the earth--whicl
great nations ior all practical purpose
are simply Russia, Germany, EnglaE
AMI the United States.
*F*
i The discussions of the Conferenc
} relative to humane methods OF warfar
such as the dlsuse OF flattened bullets
Of balloon explosives, and OF certain
|, contents of sneels, ale mere dust