New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-07
THE PEACE CONGRESS-.

The enpointment OF five American delegates 10
+ha Cars International Peace Congress is a re-
rn;nder that the date of meeting Of that inter
est;ng body is near at hand. The time and place
cre we'll chosen For whatever the Bard may
have reckoned matter for a May morning, the
common sentiment marks the coming month as
a season of peace and Joy and wspringlng HE.
Nor are there many lands on earth more given
"a Peace and her good works than Holland
NOR many cities less ominOus Of war than Inc
uapue. nor vet many meeting-places so given
Z 10 ouiet and rcpose as the historic House in the
Wood and it's great hall adorned in memory or
<he Peace OF Munster. At such a season and IN
such n place It should be easy for mems MINDS
TO dwell on thoughts Of peace and to devise
woys for preserving the peace unbroken. And
vet II might also be as easy to do so within
fortress. surrounded with all the pomp and cir
cumstance Of war. Apart from sentimental MT
ness we shall have 10 look not at the environ
ment but AT the men who meet and the Govern
ments behind them and the matter they have IN
hand
The five men chosen by the President to rep
resent the United States are happily distributed.
Two are conspicuous in the diplomatic service
one comes from high station in civic life, one
from the Army and one from the Navy. our
foreign relations, our domestic politics, the
scholarship and humanity and material inter-
ests of the Nation and both branches OF the
military service are thus represented. To such
n commission the presentation OF the American
view Of the questions considered may confident
IL be iptrusted Not all the delegates of other
nations have yet been announced, but enough
have TO indicate that the congress at The Hague
will be in personal composition worthy of the
august themes which are TO form the matter OF
Cts deliberations. Not even such composition,
of course insures the achievement or great re-
suits. The fable of the Mountain and the Mouse
is not forgotten. But IL would be not only un-
gracious but something akin 10 treason 10 the
hopes of humanity for men 10 dscredit the WORK
of the congress In advance or 10 predict any
thing but n favorable outcome from it's work.
We may well leave II 10 the Tolstoytes to rail
against IT, as they are even now so copiouSly
doing. Men who take a sane view of human re-
latlonships Will sincerely hope that through the
labors Of this eminent assembage the likelihood
OF war may 10 some degree be lessened, the hor-
rors of war be mitlgated. the burdens Of mill
tarism be lighened and the thoughts and de-
sIres Of men be turned the world over more tow
ard peace and its blessings and less toward war
and its so-called glores
n The congress- II Is announced, will be divided
Into three sections, each with It's own organZa-
tion working independently of the others. one
will consider the question OF disarmament ana
allied matters another that OF arbitration ana
the third will be a Section Of Initiative" Three
general propositions, formulated by the Car.
will form the basis Of deliberation. The first is
that for certain term OF years no Power shall
increase its army or navy or its military budget.
I, is obvious that such n measure would bear
somewhat unequally upon some Of the Powers
represented. We may reckon, for example, that
Russia. France and Germany are to-day about
equally armed In proportion 10 their size and
wealth But the United States certainly comes
nowhere near their standard. France has about