New-York tribune., 1907-09-23
FAILURE AT THE HAGUE
Il BARREN CONFERENCE.
Mr. ChOate, HoUeUer, Still Hopeful
of Satisfactory Results.

The Hague. Sept. 22-After having been IN
session over three months and with adjourn
ment proba bly, a month away, II is recognlzeo
even by the most optimistic in the peace move
ment that the second international peace CON-
ference has been and will be at its conclusion
barren of results which will lead to permanent
measures of benefit to the peace Of the world
Mr. Choate Of the American delegation, how
ever, IS still optimistic regarding the results
the great questions. especially tha' OF d
permanent court of arbitration, being SaIslie"
that the principle IS admitted. He thinks tNa'
after the conference has concluded its session
1t will be an easy matter TO overcome the preJu-
dices concerning the allotment of Judges. ana
that thereafter the establishment Of the court
will be an easy task. The general opinion
among the other delegates. however, differs from
that of Mr.. Choate, they believing that the
adoption of Sir Edward Fry's proposal intrust-
ing to the governments the task OF fndlhs
system by which to elect the judges was d
masked method for burying the whole alialit
They say that after the conference is ended the
governments will not study the question Oh
Judges to a greater extent than other questioiAS
at issue. such as limitation of armaments.
Even the proposal for q future meeting OF the
conference. which was unanimously adopted on
Saturday. has been so altered as TO suppress its
Of the meetings. merely providing for the calling
Of third conference. but establishing nothing
with regard TO convening future conferences.
The prevailing opinion. expressed by one
Of the leading delegates. was that the absence
of results at the conference on the great ques-
tfons had been due to the lack of preparation
by all the countries represented This he said'
was especially striking in the American dele
cation. which supposed TO have como mere
in complete accord with the Lattn-An1erican
countries This accord. however. neither eX-
listed nor had been reached during the CONFER
ence Indeed. what was to be dreaded he said,
was that the chief result OF the conference would
be q growing feeling of difidence the part
of the South Americans toward Washington,
as. rightly or wrongly, they accused the United
States Of having neglected them and Of caring
only for working in accord with Great Britain
and Germany. thinking that a union with these
great powers would be sufficient 10 carry out
any project while the facts proved the con-
trary as IN the case of the Permanent Court
Of Arbitration which represented victory for
Brazil over the compact formed by America,
Great Britain and Germany.
The criticism has been made that the United
States should either have come to The Hague
with the certainty OF having the support of all
Of the Latin-American countries, should have
abstained from making proposals which were
destined TO meet with opposition perhaps ex-
aggerated. as in the case OF the allotment Of
Judges but nevertheless invincible. Thus far
the only motion which does not regulate war.
but tries to prevent 1t. was passed by the mar
rowest of margins. That the proposal con-
cerning the forcible collection Of contractual
debts.
The remainder Of the work Will keep the con-
ference busy until the middle of october. It IS
easy to foresee that the only success will be at
tanned by Germany. which viii prevent the
adoption Of proposals 10 which she is opposed.
and by the small states, which have proved that
il is impossible TO reach a world agreement
without their support.
1t is estimated that the conference has cost
altogether 81, 100000.