Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-12-04

10 the hfdeouS cruelty now incident to-
ipelagic seallng 1t will be d question for
your serious consideration how far we
should continue to protect and main
tain the seal herd on land with the
result Of continuing such practice
and whether 1t Is not better to end
the practice by discriminating the herd
ourselves In the most humane way pos
sible.
EFFORTS FOR PEACE.
Our Duty as a Nation to Further This
Cause. II;
In my last message advised you
that the emperor Of Russia had taken
the Initiative in bringing about a sec.
ond peace conf at The Hague.
Under the guidance Of Russia the ar
arrangement of the preliminaries for
such a conference has been progress
Ing during the past year. Progress
has necessarily been slow owing to the
/ great number Of countries to be con-
suited upon every question that has
! arisen. 1t is a matter Of satisfaction
that all Of the American republics have
| now, for the first time, been invited to
join In the proposed conference. ,
The close connection between the
subjects to be taken up by the Red
/ Gross conference held at Geneva last
summer and the subjects which natu-
/ rally would come before The Hague
conference made 1t apparent that 1t
was desirable to have the work o. the
Red Cross conference completed and
considered by the different powers be.
fore the meeting at The Hague. The
Red Cross conference ended its labors
4 on the 9th of July, and the revised
and amended convention, which was
signed by the American delegates, will
4 be promptly laid before the senate. .
By the special and highly appreciat-
] ed courtesy Of the governments of Rus
sia and the Netherlands proposal to
4 call The Hague conference together at
a time which would conflict with the
conference Of the American republics
at Rio de Janeiro In August was laid
aside. No other date has yet been sug.
j gested. A tentative programme for
4 the conference has been proposed by
s the government Of Russia. and the
4 subjects which 1t enumerates are I'm.
4 dergoing careful examination and con
/ sideration in preparation for the con
q ference. sf rs
Peace and righteousness.
It must ever be kept in mind thai
4 war Is not merely justiiable but i'm
/ perative upon honorable men, upon ar
honorable nation, where peace can only
a be obtained by the sacrifice Of con
4 scientious conviction or of nationa
q welfare. Peace is normally a grea
. good, and normally at comedies will
4, righteousness. but It Is righteousness
and not peace, which should bind tn
/, conscience of q nation as II shoult
bind the conscience of an individual
4, and neither nation nor an individual
+ can surrender conscience to another
. keeping. Neither can a nation which j
Il an entity and which does not die a
individuals die refrain from taking
J, thought for the interest Of the genera
J. lions that are to come no less than fo
!. the Interest Of the generation Of today
and no public men have Alright, wheth
!, er from shortsig edness, from selisl
Indi ference or from sentimentality. t
. sacrifice national interests which ar
vital in character. A Just war is II
q the long run far better for a nation
|, soul than the most prosperous peac
. obtained by acquiescence in wrong o
! Injustice Moreover. though it is Grim
inal for nation not to prepare for wa
SO that 1t may escape the dreadful con
sequences Of being defeated In wal
~ vet it must always be remembe tina
even to be defeated in war may be ia
4 better than not to have fought at al
AS has been well and finely said, s
! beaten nation is not necessarily a dis
graced nation, but the nation or ma
is disgraced il the obligation to defen
1 right is shirked.
! We should as d nation do everythiii
i Id our power for the cause of hotlors
i BILE peace 1t is morally as indefensib
!: for a nation to commit q wrong upo
|. another nation. strong or weak. as IS
j an individual thus to wrong his fe
j lows. We should do all In our poW''
6 to hasten the day when there shall |
! 4 peace among the nationsa peace base
4 upon Justice and not upon coward
3 submission to wrong. We can accol
plish d good deal In this direction. b.
we cannot accomplish every thing, III
the penalty of attempting to do I,
i much would almost Inevitably be tot
: worse than nothing, for 1t must be j
membered that fantastic eXtremis
y .i are not In reality leaders OF the eaus
8 which they espouse, but are ord mari
those who do most to hamper the re
!, leaders Of the cause and to damag Sc q
cause itself AS vet thee 10 like
hood Of estab lishing any ~ {, s intS
Z national power, of Mi n 50
I, which can effectively ci'ies Rgd
I. ing. and in these circumstances
s would be both d foolish and an 81
!. thing for a great and free nation
deprive itself Of the power to prote
= 5As its own rights and even Iii execution