The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1904-10-28
WASHINGTON LETTER.

The President has made good his PROM
Use to the delegates of the IuterparIiment-
airy Union and at yesterdays cabinet
meeting he approved the formal invita-
ton to be extended to reassemble in
peace conference at the Hague. AS al
ready intimated in these letters, negotia-
tons have been in progress ever since
the promise made at the White House,
September "a. The Netherlands have
been consulted regarding their conve-
nience to have the conference assembled
at the Hague and now the formal invita-.
ton, together with tentative program
of the subjects to be considered, is being
forwarded to the ambassadors aud minis
tiers of the United States, while the hope
is expressed that they will be favorably
received, hope doubtless based on en-
tirely reasonable grounds.
*
Invitations to the peace conference will
necessarily be extended only to those
powers which participated in the confer
ence of 1899, but when it takes place the
United States will again press the sugges-
ton that other American nations be in.
vited to participate. While numerous
propositions were left, at the last confer
ence, to become the subject of the next
meeting, the chief proposition incorporat-
ed in the program now being sent to the
powers is that endorsed by joint resolu-
ton at the last session of Congress re-
questing the President to take such steps
as practicable for the protection, in time
of war, of neutral goods, not contraband
of war, whether found in neutral or bel
ligerent bottoms (ships.) Another sub
ject which will receive consideration, and
probably favorable action, will be the
extention of the agreement not to use, in
warfare, the process of sending explosives,
by means of balloons or airships, into the
enemies forts or territory.
*x*
In many quarters the belief has been
expressed that no action looking to a
peace conference could be taken until the
cessation of hostilities in Manchuria, but
President Roosevelt and Secretary Hay
think otherwise and the powers are in
vited to assemble, as soon as possible.
What the effect of an assemblage of all
the great powers. in conference having
for its object the promotion of inter-
national peace, will be on the Asiatic
belligerents, already nearly exhausted
with the burden of their strife, must be
left to the Imagination of the reader.
That effect it will have must be apparent.
~
An erroneous impression seems to have
been formed regarding the new Chinese
treaty which, as has been announced in
this correspondence, is now in process of
negotiation. While details of the new
treaty cannot be made public it can be
stated on the highest authority that there
is no truth in the report that the new con.
vention will be any less firm in its pro-
visions for Chinese exclusion than the
agreement now in force. In fact, the
new treaty, by recognizing the agree.
ment on which present regulations are
based. will enable Congress to reenact the
present law in more intelligent form and
it is confidently expected that once the
new convention is ratified Chinese Ex-
clusion will prove more effective than
ever before, although the provisions for
extention of the trade of the United
States in China will have been improved.
~
letter written by President Roosevelt
to a prominent journalist has recently
been made public, in which, under date
OF October 10, 1908, President Roosevelt
said privately. freely say to you that
should be delighted if Panama were an
independent State, or if it made itself so
at this moment: but for ME to say so pub
licly would amount to the instigation Of
revolt and therefore cannot say it,"
To students of the history of Panama the
fact that the President shared the senti-
nlents of most of the people in this
country will occasion no surprise. 1t
should be remembered that when. in
1868, Panama entered into the confed-
eracy, then known as New Grenada, sub
sequently the United States of Colombia,
it was not as State in union but
as member of confederacy of
sovereign States. She had her own
legislature, made her own laws, assessed
her own taxes. in word. enjoyed the
f,all mil,