The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1907-05-03
Famous Resort of Peace
Lovers.
Meeting to be Held This
Month at Which Prom
inent Men Will
Gather.

more striking evidences of progress
than has the peace and arbitration
movement during the past few years.
Since the first Hague conference in
1899 an ever changing series Of events
has been tending in the direction of
better International relations, Set
over against a great war, we find
q successful Hague Court settling four
cases involving fourteen nations; a
network OF arbitration treaties, forty.
four in number, limited in scope but
nevertheless strong guarantors OF
peace; an arising world sentiment
which did not little to terminate the
Russo.Japanese war; and the deyel-
opment of an international respect
and good will which has well eX-
pressed itself through such agencies
as the Alaska Boundary Tribunal
the North Sea Commission and the
Algeciras Conference. Arbitration has
become a world subject, engrosE!ng
alike to cabinets and peace societies,
executives and private citizens.
At this moment the great nations are
witnessing impressive demonstrations
of interest In the second Hague Con-
ference which meets June 18th. In our
own country, a great National Arbi.
tratlon and Peace Congress recently
drew together in New York thousands
of Americans and secured official rec.
ognitlon from city, state and nation.
II Is indeed, encouraging that the
coming Hague Conference should
evoke 80 great and widespread in
terest.
The reasons for this general inter
est will hardly be found in anything
new that has been said Of the horrors
OF war the burdens OF mjlitar!sm or
the expense OF great nrmaments. The
explanation Is rather that the nations
are finding new ways 10 adjust many
controversies without blOodshed or
dshonor and that the people are COM
ing to realize that any present hope Of
doing away with war lies not In re-
moving its causes but In finding new
means OF dealing with those causes;
not by unqualihedly condemnlng war
but by codfylng international law allay.
ing international distrust and extending
and making more judicial the appllca-
tion OF arbitration through the Hague
Court and Ike agencies. In the gen.
eral acceptance of this principle the
movement against war has found a
basis for sure, even II slow, prog
ress.
In this connection Il Is interesting /
20 note the work Of one man and OF
an institution OF his creation which for |
twelve years gAst has been urging on |
the Americas public, with no little |
success this very principle which Is .
now being so generally accepted That 4
man is Albert K Smiley. a business /
man OF clear insight, the owner OF .
q vast private estate at Lake Mohonk, |
n Y. Here In 1895 he invited about 4
fifty prominent persons 20 meet as his ,
guests and from that rather unique |
house party grew the Lake Mohonk |
Conference on International Arbitra. |
ton which has become OF considerable I
national significance The conference I.
Is remarkable as being perhaps the |
first and only meeting in the interest /.
Of peace at wh5ch II is distinctly stlp-
ulated that neither peace nor war shall
be discussed, Attention Is concentrate .
ed on arbitration and kindred agencies
as practical means Of adjusting inter
national differences. The wisdom OF
this course has been demonstrated In
the growth Of the conference in num-
bers and influence. Each annual meet
ing now numbers more than three
hundred persons, eminent In all walks
OF American life, the highly cosmopo'
Titan character of the conference, made
possible by its limited scope con
stltutlng its greatest strergth.
Three great measures steadily and
Dcrsistently advocated by the confer
ence have been, l. An international
court Of arbitration. ?. Arbitration
treaties, both special and general 2,
Some form of international congress
with advisory powers. 1t will be soep
that the conference has not hesitated
TO hold out a hish ideal. Dut true TO
the practical, having stated its ideal
II has begun at the foot of the lad.
der to build up the practical details
leading 10 II. Now that an Internal
ional court has become a fact and
the movement for arbitration treaties
has assumed considerable proportions, !
the conference is specially emphasdz-
ing the importance that the Hague
conference Of this year take short
step toward an international congress
by making the Hague Conference
permanent institution with regular.
periodic meetings.
The Conference maintains perman'
ent office at Mohonk Lake through !
which an active educational propagan-
ds is carried on throughout the year, |
An illustration Of tie practical nature |
o. its work is seen In the fact that in
.he past three years 1t has built up |
a voluntary cooperative association OF
a hundred and Thirty of the largest
business organizations Of the country, |
representing thirty-seyen states.
through whach II can exert an immedt
ate and powerful influence on the gem
erai pubic. u has also scored the
active CO operation Of nearly thi "a
OF the colleges Of the United States.
For these reasons. although It's mem
bcrs still come as Mr.. Smiley's guests
-. a a.. ..nts..a lo rr..e<