Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-04-16

strenuous in business, eager for
wealth, energetic In production and
Renturesome in commerce. insistent
upon their rights, proud Of their coun,
try, jealous Of its power and prestige;,
but there is a strain OF idealism in
the American nature which saves our
nation from the grossness of sordid
materialism and makes it responsive
to every appeal in behalf Of liberty
and righteousness, Of peace with JUS
tice, and of human brotherhood the
world over. No American government
could truly represent it's people if it
did not sympathize heartily with the
purposes which this congress meets to
promote, and the American govern
ment Of today does sympathize hear
tily with those purposes. In behalf
of the { government give you
the kindly and appreciative greeting
of the people of the United States and
welcome you as spiritual kindred OF
those Americans of great heart and
clear intelligence who in time past
striving for ordered liberty and the
peace of justice in this land, have con.
| ferred inestimable benefits upon all
mankind, and whose memory and ex.
ample are our most precious posses.
sions g {. u: .iss "a
The World Ruled by Force.
It is a common saying that the
world is ruled by force that the ulti-
mate sanction for the rules Of right
conduct between nations is the posi-
bility of war. That is less than half
truth. There was time when the
official intercourse between nations
which we call diplomacy consisted
chiefly of bargaining and largely of
cheating in the bargain. Diplomacy
now consists chiefly in making nation
al conduct conform or appear to con-
form to the rules which codify, en-
body, and apply certain moral stand
ards evolved and accepted in the slow
development Of civilization. The CON
tinual and unceasing process Of diplo-
matte intercourse by which these stan
dards are pressed upon the govern
ment of every nation, backed by the
tremendous power Of the opinion IF
the civilized world, enforced by the
desire for the good opinion and appre-
hension of the disfavor OF mankind,
form a strong external restraint upon
national conduct; and these standards
have been created by the evolution Of
moral as opposed to physical forces.
Thoughts Turned Towards Second
| Conference.
The thoughts Of all men who hope
for the peace of the world are now
turned toward the second peace con.
ference SO soon to meet at The Hague
It is cheering to note the difference
between the attitude Of the world to
ward this conference about to NEE
and the way in which the world looked
| upon the first conference at The
Hague eight years ago. The generous
impulse and noble sentiment Of the
emperor Of Russia which dictated the
call for that conference, supported by
his great power and commanding pc
! sition, compelled the respect, or ap
pearance of respect, from all the great
powers; yet it is safe to say that the
prevailing sentiment among the pow
ers as to the practical value of the
conference was one Of polite ineredul
ity, and that the delegates whom he
had called together met amid an al
most universal belief that nothing
would or could be accomplished. The
primary object Of the call for the first
conference the accomplishment Of
the great design which Henry ~ OF
France conceived three centuries ago
for the limitation of ornaments in
Europe failed for the time; yet the
conference accomplished sother things
of the highest value to humanity, and
it demonstrated for the first time in
the worlds history the potent and
epoch-making fact that a congress OF
the worlds powers convened, not to
deal with some concrete question de
manrding Immediate solution, but con.
yened to consider and discuss the ap.
plication of the general and fundamen.
tai principles of justice and humanity
under all circumstances and to all in
ternational questions can be made d
practical and effective agency in the
government Of the world !; it developed
q new method and a new power for
the betterment of international con.
duct, far superior to the ordinary rules
of diplomatic intercourse, far broader
in its scope, far nobIer in its purpose.
Upon the eve of the second confer:
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