Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1907-10-19
aecrecy ne the Peace Conference.

secrecy at Cne ReaCe conference.
Early in the proceedings at The
Hague the cars peace promoter, Nell
dof, urged his colleagues to conceal
their deliberations, just as his master
does the imperial confabs at st. Pc
tersburg. AS a result the real work
of the conference seems to be done In
secret conclave, and practically seven
powers out of the forty odd states rep
resented have the say as to what shall
be done These powers are the United
States, Great Britain, Russia, Germa-
ny, France, Japan and Italy. AS for
the United States, it is said by some
observers that it's chief plenipotentiary
Baron Won Blebersteln, leader of the
German delegation, and Nelidof. At
times the first French representative,
Leon Bourgeois, has worked with his
German colleague to battle Mr. Choate.
1t sometimes appears that both of these
gentlemen join with the cars peace
promoter" in the conviction that the
conference will wind up in way to
be recalled hereafter as the worlds
jest. Their game tends that way
If outward politeness, cordial hand
shakes and smiles could be taken as
evidence that the worlds millennium
had come then the peace conference of
1907 would turn out record maker in
history. Costly dinners are prepared
by the best cooks Of Paris and wine
has flowed freely, especially when
some delegation had its special ak to
grind. Some of the representatives
started in under the impression that
Carnegie would pay all hotel bills, in
Guiding banquets and the attractive
Spreads" which are a feature of the
of some of the minor del
egations, notably those that are boom
ing the principle of international law
that bills shall not be collected by
force. Turkey quickly chimed in on
this proposition.
But underneath the joyous exterior
the jealousy and distrust of the dele
gates and their attempts to overreach
one another have cropped out. 1t
would have been well if all the shabby
goings on at The Hague could have
been kept from public notice. If it
should be shown in the sober delibera-
tons that the several strong govern
ments of the old world were ready to
abate their selfishness, greed and blood
and make concessions for
the sake of universal peace the minor
due to human nature
would be excused. 1t seems, however,
that the cars spokesman and the kai-
ser's spokesman repaired to The Hague
to Jolly" some of their weak
er colleagues and to outwlt the few Sc
rious ones. To mitigate the horrors of
war is merely an extension of license
for those who care to indulge in it.
Warning nations sacrifice nothing and
are able 10 cover up their real instincts
by posing before the world as humane.
Perhaps the public will be fooled by
rules making Red Cross relief vessels
immune from capture, the selection of
a humane" bullet and the abolition
of mines, which really hoist friends as
we'll as foes. More than likely, though,
the humbug will be sized up on its mer-
its, and then, saddest of all, the cause
Of universal peace, so vital to the mil
lions who do the bleeding on the battle
field and groan under war appropria-
tons, will come out of the second
peace conference in a more hopeless
stage than it entered.