Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-04
war have been finally determined by pub
lie opinion.
Efforts for Consultation.

Since the opening Of hostilities we have
several times renewed our effort to bring
about conciliation, and especially after the
meetings Of the commission of the bureau
in April last we addressed to all the gov
ernments a pressing. invitation to offer
mediation.
UP to the present moment the govern
ments not involved in the conflict have linn
tied their efforts to the localization of the
war and to the strict maintenance of col
lective neutrality. But the moment is per-
haps not far off when they will be able in
to listen to the voice Of reason, of justice
and humanity by insisting upon the fact
that the present war will be all the more
fruitless because neither of the belligerent
parties, on account of the pacific ideas now
prevailing, can expect effective support to-
ward the realization of it's ambitious pur-
poses.
The Anglo-French Agreement.
One of the greatest blessings Of the recent
Anglo-French agreement has been that at
the present time it has greatly strengthened
and developed these pacific ideas. 1t is pos
sible. of course, in the alteration of their
judgment, which has been led away by vain
hopes, the Russians and the Japanese will
remain deaf to this appeal Would the pow
ers, If an offer of media ton by them should
be rejected, find themselves necessitated
thereby to have recourse to the use of mill
tary force to impose peace? Such is not
our opinion. For before having recourse to
such extreme measures, the powers would
still have at their disposal other means of
coercion.
The most eff1cacioussof these might pos
s1bly be that of vigorously closing their
exchequer to the further appeals of Rus
sla and Japan for new war loans.
Another Deplorable Condition.
These reflections bring US to the con-
sideration of another deplorable situa-
ton, perpetuated likewise by the too
great facility with which certain govern
ments have accumulated debts upon debts
by offering large rates of interest to
western spectators. We have reference
to the internal affairs of the ottoman en-
pire and especially to the sufferings to
which the Christian populations of Mace
donia and Armenia have been exposed.
In contrast to the gloomy pictures
Whlch the past year gives us from the
Point of view of the peace movement, we
are happy to be able to put down to the
credit of the year number of encourag-
ing facts. In no former period has so
much been accomplished to bring the
peoples and the governments of the world
under the sway of international arbitra-
ton. E
Treaty Conventions.
AS particularly important we may point
ooe Tic iOiiOWlHS conventions In their
chronological order:
The Franco-English arbitration treaty of
October, 1903.
The treaty of arbitration between France
and Italy of December; 1903
The Anglo-Italian arbitration treaty of
January, 1904.
The arbitration treaty between Denmark
and Holland, February, 19O4.
The Franco-Spanish' arbitration treaty,
March, 1904. t
The Anglo-Spanish arbitration treaty.
March, 1904. .Tf
The new Franco-English agreement con-
cerning Egypt, Morocco. Newfoundland and
western Africa, as well as Siam. the New
Hebrides and Madagascar, April, 1904.
The arbitration treaty between France
and Holland. April, 1904
The Anglo-German arbitra ton treaty,
July, 1904.
The Anglo Scandinavian arbitration
treaty, July, 1904 "a
The arbitration treaty between Spain and
Portugal
To the Franco-Italian arbitra ton treaty
has been added the Franco-Italian conven-
t1on concerning labor legislation signed in
April, 1904 Finally, The Hague arbitra-
tlon court after having rendered it's award
In the Venezuelan affair, is at the present
time deliberating upon the controversy
concerning the taxing of improvements on
leased lands in Japan 0he Japanese house
tax).
Ihe court is also to be intrusted with de-
cld1ng between the Netherlands and France
in the case of any differences which NAV
arise between these two countries in refer
ence to the submarine cable which CON
meets Saigon with the west coast of Ror
neo.