The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-09-13
FOR WORLDWIDE PEACE.

In the course of the last week or 10 days ther
have arrived on these shores about two hundred dis
tinguished foreign legislators of the par
laments or congresses of leading European nations
which permit official representatives of the people
to take part in the affairs of government. These
men represent the parliaments of England, France
Germany, Austria Hungary, Italy, Belgium, Den
mark, Norway, Sweden, Holland Switzerland, Rou-
mania and Portugal. They come to attend the 18th
conference of the Interpariamentary Union for the
promotion of International Arbitration, which is to
be held in st. Louis beginning September II This
union does not in itself furnish court for the set
tement of international disputes. Its object is to
create public sentiment and opinion favorable to
arbitration as substitute for war; The union was
organized in 1888 and it has accomplished good work.
the most important of which was the foundation of
The Hague peace commission. 1t has been instru-
mental in establishing arbitration treaties between
many countries But still greater field of activity
lies before it.
As the conflict in the far east drags along, with its
horrible butcheries thinking people, at least outside
of Russia and Japan, are realizing more and more
the murderous and the suicidal waste the futility
and the sheer nadequacy of war, says the New York
Commercial There is an increasing agreement ofI
opinion among such people that the abolition of
fare would be the greatest boon to humanity There
is such agreement of opinion concerning the pos
sibility of ever attaining to a state of universal
peace or the feasibility of any method suggested to
bring it about. Yet che spread of the desire for
peace is great thing start in the right direction
has been made.
While The Hague court has rendered services of
inestimable value to civilization its nsuficency for
preserving worldwide peace is proved by the pres
ent war 1t has been suggested that the next step
necessary to supplement it in that direction would
be the establishment of world congress to declare
the principles of law for the conduct of nterna-
tional affairs. Certainly such congress Of the ma
tons could 60 far toward the settlement of the laws
of war, the collection of money claims against ma
tiOn, the rules Of ocean navigation international
postal and cable communication international stand
ards of weights and measures gold and silver ex-
change, and many other such concerns of worldwide
interest The establishment of such congress would
be in line with the aim Of the Interparamentary
Union and it to be hoped the question will receive
discussion at the conference in st. Louis.
The delegates representing this nation will report
to the conference that the United States has abol
ished the practice of prze-money, and will recon-
mend that the other delegates use their influence to
have the same measure adopted in their countries
Attention will be called also to the respect for pri
yate property at that the United States has
shown both in peace and war One of the foreign
delegations will propose code of international law
and the conference will work assiduously in the
direction in which considerable success has been
acheved-the establishment of arbitration treaties.
This will be the first meeting the Interparliament
ary Union has ever held in America The congress
Of the United States did well to appropriate $50OOO
for the entertainment of the foreign delegates while
here Their deliberations will be watched with wide1
spread interest, and the results of the conference
should be of benefit to the whole civilized world.