New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-20
THE SECOND PEACE CONGRESS.


Universal qualification will be feit at lne Col
ton of the Russian Emperor III SO clo1eI 80
lowing tho conference and the Treaty ol 10
,,,o+t LII, ,ena1ved nroposals-as they are, per
hans somewhat inaccurately, designated "
cocond naace congress at The Hague III Alno'
loo +bic faeIno will be especially suons nn
cordial because of the important llll'i"
which this country. through its Fresluer.' naS
already taken toward that precise emu ~ .Ho
Russian Emperor belongs the credlt OIL nd ms
called the first peace conference at 1He h"e
and for that wise and benevolent ACT 'io
lii NOT ooase To do him honor. Toward the
second such gathering the 1nltlauEe "o' 80
nv President Roosevelt, almost exactly year
ago whom he announced, through the approprl-
ate Medium of the Interparliamentary Ohloh' MS
intention of inviting the various powers " au
other meeting at The Hague lie" "eoh'
later the invitations were issued, the ulile VI N
meeting however, being purposely anu lol 'O'
ous reasons not designated In due time accept
ances were received from ali the powers nus
STA alone coupling hers with the not uhreasoh-
able condition-whiCh the President uouolleS'
had in mind from the beginning-that the con,
oress shouId not be held until after peace had
been concluded in Manchuria. That is the olpio-
matte record.
Now the war in Manchuria is ended, and the
time is ripe. according to the Russian note ol
nearly a year ago, for the assembling OF lhe
peace congress. 1t is true that the treaty ol
Portsmouth although made and signed, mas HOT
vet been ratified. But in moving Tor the peace
congress the Gar practically indicates IN the
clearest fashion his intention of ratitying II;
and that the Mikado will do so, too, there mas
never been the least doubt Thus the condition
which Russia attached to her acceptance Of the
Presidents invitation is substantially fuInIled'
and it is eminently fitting that the power Whlch
imposed that condition should itself make an
nouncement of that fact TO the world. what the
Gar is now doing is really complementary to
the Presidents work of last year Inc PreSl-
dent issued the invitations with the date leIc
blank and secured the acceptances. The Car
now. we assume, proposes the date or at any
rate indicates that Russia is ready for its selec-
ton In another and most interesting sense,
too the Car follows the Presidents initiative
The holding of the peace congress, according TO
the Gar. was impractcable until after peace
was restored in Manchuria. It was the Presi-
dent who took the initiative in such restoration
of peace, and thus in making it possible for the
Gar to take his present action.
The incident, rather the sequence OF incl
dents. is honorable in the highest degree to both
the President and the Gar. and is full Of prom
ise for the welfare of mankind There is no
room for doubling the utility Of the congress.
nor will there be difficulty in finding an abun-
dance of important and practical topics for its
consideration There were enough matters left
over, unfinished from the former congress TO
keep it proftably busy There are also enough
arising from the recent That war was
happily ended by direct negotiation between the
belligerents, without the intervention of any
concert of the powers. But various issues of it,
affecting the world at large, need to be consid-
cred by all the powers concerned. We have
already called attention to many Of them. The
rights of neutral ships. commerce and mails,
the use of mines and other methods of warfare,
especially in neutral waters the general ques-
ton of contraband: the privilege Of asylum
these and other topics We're acutely brought to
notice during the war and now, while they arG
fresh in mind, and the circumstances of the war
in relation to them are readily and accurately
to be recalled, is the most appropriate and au-
spicious time for the nations to take them up
and, if possible, to make regarding them some
agreement that shall have the force of interna-
tional law. In such work the second peace con-
gress will have opportunity for effecting great
and lasting good