The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-05-27
The Peace Conference and Our Monroe
Doctrine.

The Baltimore Sun says: The dis
armament conference at The Hague l.
at present under the scrutiny Of many
acute infellects, and it is not surpris'
ing if under their manipulation some
very simple and plain matters are MADE
tn exhibit complicated and sensational
character. This is illustrated IN criti-
cisms upon the list Of states invited by
the Dutch government-acting Tor Rus
sia-t0 send delegates to the confer
ence. Only Independent governments
have been asked &c send representatives, ,
and the revelation Of Russia's idea as
TO what governments are independent
excites much comment. Greece Is on
the list along with such petty STATES rs
Portugal, Montenegro, Bulgaria. Ser
via and Siam. These states are 3D.
Judged to be separate and Independent
sovercignties. and are diplomatically
on an equality with such powers rs
England, France. Germany, Italy and
the United States But Egypt the
Transvaal, the Orange Free State, AZ
ghanistan and the feudatury states II
India are not on the list. for obvious
reasons. They are all, in one degree or
another, subject to Queen Victoria and
do not maintain diplomatic relations
on their own account with foreign
governments.
Similarly Norway gets no separate
representation. being Jumped In with
Sweden. whose king is conceived u
speak for both countries. The papacy
has ministers accredited 10 it, but has
no territorial domain, and on this ac-
count. and on account Of Italy oppo-
sition, is excluded. The Ameer Of Box
hara is excluded, as being a vassal ot
the Gar. OF independent Mohamme-
dan countries, Persia and Turkey send
delegates, but Morocco has not been in
yited TO do so, probably for the reason
that the Sultan does not maintain
diplomatic representatives at the courts
of Europe. The Emperor William ii
is, Of course, assumed to speak Tor
Bavaria, Wurtemburg and the other
semi-independent states of his com
posite empire, aud Francis Joseph for
the extremely heterogeneous political
entity Of which he is the head. Rus
sia is q stickler for regularity in mat
ters Of international intercourse. and
in making up the list Of nations to be
invited to the Ozar's conference was
doubtless careful to recognize political
facts and avoid wounding the susCepti-
bility of states justly entitled to repre-
sentation.
In view Of this fact it is deemed
somewhat remarkable and significant
that the United States Is the only
power in this hemisphere to which an
invitation was sent. This. too, In
spite of the circumstance that some of
the Latin republics Of America are
vastly more important and powerful
than are Portugal, Servia, Greece and
others. who's, title to representation Is
recognized. Mexico is a very consld-
erable country, as respects area, popu-
lation and resources. Argentine. Bra
zil and Chill occupy a large place IN
the worlds eye, and the same may be
said of Venezuela, Uruguay and Para
quay. Why. then, are not these re-
publics-which are very frequently at
war-invited to send delegates to the
peace conference? They even more than
the states of Europe need the lesson OF
peace and require relief from the desc
lating struggles that paralyze progress.
Their exclusion, it is suggested, is
due to the assumption on the part OF
the Gear that Mexico and the republics
of Central and South America are not
in fact independent republics, but,
from diplomatic point Of view, are
subject to the United States. Under
the Monroe doctrine the United States
asserts a suzerainty over these coun-
tries, which places them in position
in relation to her comparable with
that Of Egypt to England. The United
States having undertaken to speak foi
Venezuela in her dispute over the
boundary Of Guiana and Venezuela
having acquiesced in this extension Of
the Monroe doctrine, that so-called re-
public. in the Ozar's view, is no Ion
ger sovereign power, but must be
considered as represented at The Hague
by the United States. So Of the Other
Central and South American states
Not having formally repudiated the
pretensions of the Monroe doctrine,
they must be taken to acquiesce in 1t,
and thus to forfeit the diplomatic
rights of independent states. IL wa'
open to the Czar, Of course, to ignore
our claim of suzerainty over the An er
lean republics, but this he does not do
preferring to take facts as he finds then
rather than offend the United States
1t may be observed. however, that thii
reasoning is rather finely drawn. The
United States hardly claims so much al
the Gar comedies and the South
American republics are far from recog
nizing our predominence. Is the Czal
slyly trying to extra a disclaimer
from our sister repub icsa