New-York tribune., 1905-06-16
pEA0EnAKIEG AT WASHINGTON

| There are several reasons for grauncaoon
| the selection of Washington as the seere "
| peacemaking between Japan ana f'ussi" .
| of them pertain peculiarly TO lnis
| Tins IT must afford Americans pie"'uiS
| know that the United States is regarueu ny
| both belligerents as so truly neulral anu a
CO d;sinterested and impartial in Its friendship
for both that it's capital is the httest ol ai'
places for the meeting of their penlpotentialies'
Tbo+ foot addad to the ready and unQuestion-
ING acceDtance of the Presidents peace over
t,,res bv both powers should sufficiently estao-
lish for all time the status of TINS COUNT LII
relation to the war and to the powers lhaI Ii" .
been waging it-a status than which nohe Io'iol
be more honorable and benevolent Ii ls dioo d
source Of pleas sure to know that thls cnoice mas
been made by the powers upon ther ." Ii initi-
alive and not at the seeking or even the sus-
gestion of this country. Indeed, the American
suggestion has been of some other place Ii mas
been said that the Presidents original thought
was Of some spot in Manchuria, and we are now
autboritatiyeIy Informed that he more recently
suggested The Hague. But the powers nave
agreed upon Washington, partly, we may as
sumo in complimentary recognition OF the fresi-
dents good offices in opening the way Tor peace'
but chiefly no doubt, because OF their conVlc-
ton that it is Of all places the best suited TO te
making of peace with honor and justice, IN en-
tire freedom from luHuSnCeS WuiSH SSS%A
undesirable to either of the negotiators
This eminent suitability of Washington is de-
ternined by the same conditions that made the
President the most acceptable If not the only
possibIe mediator between the belligerents.
Japan, 1t is understood, preferred not to confer
in any European country unless, OF course, Eng
land Her motive in that is obvious. There
had been so much talk all over Europe about
the yellow peril" and there had been manifest
so decided a discrimination against Japan as an
Asiatic power, that she naturally felt that in
any Continental capital the local influence would
be antagonistic to her In a sense, Japan thinks,
the war has been contest of Asia against Eu-
rope; certainly of a purely Asian power against
a power which Is partly and chiefly European
The selection of country identified with neither
Asia nor Europe was therefore indicated, and
America was the only available land OF that de-
scription.
1t is an auspicious incident in the history of
this nation and of the world. 1t is unique. for
never before has the American capital been
sought as the scene of such meeting. 1t gives
new and most gracious emphasis to the char
acteriZatiOn of America as a world power"
We have been world power for four genera
tions, but the realization of the fact is made
more vivid and more vital, both here and else
where, by such an incident as this. There were
those who f0reboded quarrels and wars from
our larger entry into world politics." and espe-
cially from our recent advent In Asian affairs
But here are those very doings and those very
circumstances not only showing themselves COM
patible with our own continued peace, but actu-
ally making strongly toward the re-estab bIish-
ment of peace between other powers The Presi-
dents mediation and the choice of Washing
ton mark America world power" in the
making OF peace truly and efficiently as we
could ever hope it to be In the waging of war.