The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1905-12-08

All contributions by corporations to
any political committee or for any po-
litical purpose should be forbidden by
| law, directors should not be permitted
| to use stockholders money for such
purposes, and, moreover, prohibition
of this kind would be, as far as it
went, an effective method of stopping
| the evils aimed at in corrupt practices
acts.
The Hague Conference.
The first conference of nations held
| at The Hague in 1899, being unable to
dispose of all the business before it,
recommended the consideration and
| settlement Of q number of important
questions by another conference to be
called subsequently and at an early
| date. These questions were the follow
| ing: Cd The rights and duties of neu-
trails; (2) the limitation of the armed
| forces on land and sea and Of military
| budgets; 81 the use of new types and
| calibers of military and naval guns; a.
the inviolability of private property at
| sea in times of war; 90 the lombard
ment of ports, cities and villages by ma
| val forces. In October, 1904, at the in
| stance of the interparliamentary union,
| / issued invitations to all the powers
signatory to The Hague convention to
send delegates to such conference
and suggested that it be again held at
| The Hague.
From all the powers acceptance was
received, coupled in some cases with
| the condition that we should wait until
| the end of the war then waglng be-
| tween Russia and Japan. The emperor
| of Russia, Immediately after the treaty
Of peace which so happily terminated
| this war, in a note presented to the
| president on Sept. IS took the initiative
in recommending that the conference
| be now called. The United States gov
eminent in response expressed it's cor
| dial acquiescence and stated that 1t
would as a matter of course take part
| In the new conference and endeavor to
| further it's aims. We assume that all
| civilized governments will support the
movement and that the conference is
| now an assured fact. This government
will do everything in its power to Sc
cure the success Of the conference to
the end that substantial progress may
be made in the cause of international
| peace, justice and good will.
Monroe Doctrine.
There are certain essential points
CARDS the Monroe doctrine. In the first
| place, we must as a nation make it ev-
| ident that we do not intend to treat it
| in any shape or way as an excuse for
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OH our part at the eX-
pense of the republics to the south.
But we must make it evident that we
do not intend to permit the Monroe doc
trine to be used by any nation on this
continent as shield to protect it from
the consequences Of its own misdeeds
against foreign nations. The Monroe
doctrine does not force us to interfere
to prevent the punishment Of a port
save to see that the punishment does
not assume the form of territorial occu-
patton in any shape. The case is more
difficult when it refers to contractual
obligation. This country would GER
tainly decline to go to war to prevent a
foreign government from collecting q
just debt. On the other hand, it Is
very inadvisable to permit any foreign
power to take possession, even tempo
rarily, of the custom houses of an
| American republic in order to enforce
the payment Of its obligations, for such
temporary occupation might turn into
only
cape from these alternatives may at
any time be that we must ourselves
undertake to bring about some arrange
ment by which SO much as possible Of
just obligation shall be paid.
To do SO insures the defaulting re-
| public from having to pay debts of an
improper character under duress, while
it also insures honest creditors of the
| republic from being passed by in the
| interest Of dishonest or grasping cred
| itors. Moreover, for the United States
| to take such a position offers the only
| possible way of insuring us against a
clash with some foreign power. The
| position is therefore in the interest of
| peace as well as in the interest of JUS
tice.
II SantO Domingo.
| Santo Domingo has now made an APP
| peal to us, and not only every principle
of wisdom, but every generous instinct
| within us, bids us respond to the APP
| peal. The conditions in Santo Domingo
have for q number of years grown
from bad to worse until year ago all
society was on the verge of dissolution.
just at this time ruler
'anto Domingo who, with
aw the dangers threat
y and appealed to the
only neighbor who
and the will to
imminent dan
ion Tho M