Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-23

concerning their own international obliga-
tons and duties. and articles upon various
subjects by John w. Foster, John Bas-
Davis of the army. Prof. Hershey of
the University of Indiana Prof. Wilson
of Brown University, Justice Elliott
of the supreme court of Minnesota, Robert
Lansing and others. There Is an editorial
discussion of pending International ques-
lions throughout the world, a chronicle of
International events, which is of the great
ing to International law, a review of judicial
decisions involving questions OF interna-
tional law, book reviews, book notes, and
much other interesting material. And a sup
plement of unusual historical value, giving
the text of a number of treaties recently en-
tered into by Great Britain, the United
States, France. Russia, Spain, Japan and
other nations. This supplement should be
in the library of every person interested in
international affairs.
This publication is not for lawyers alone,
but for all thinking people, and 1t should
have q popular as well as a professional
support. The editors will have access to
the diplomatic correspondence of the gov
eminent, except, of course. matters OF a
nature, which will be a great al
vantage The file room of the Department OF
State is RESERVOIR of interesting and import
ant news from all the capitals of the earth,
which should be given to the public just
as the consular reports on commercial sub
jects are printed in daily bulletins for the
and others interested in the export trade.
1t has never been the practice, however, to
give the contents of dispatches from our
ambassadors and ministers to the public I'M
til the news they contain has lost its in
terest. When they grow stale they are COM
piled in a volume and sent to Congress at
the beginning of each session. They then
go to the public printer and sometimes,
within the next year or two. the Foreign
Relations as the book is called, is issued
through members of the Senate and House
of Representatives. Each of them has
twelve copies and each sends his quota to
public libraries and commercial associa-
tions. where they are never read, and their
existence Is unknown to people, who, If they
had half a chance, would take the greatest
degree of interest in the information the
dispatches contain.
News Bureau Needed.
There ought to be news bureau in the
Department of State, in charge of some
man who will have sufficient discretion to
know what portions of the diplomatic cor
respondence should be suppressed as sin
compatible with the public welfare" and
what part can safely be given to the news
papers. While the news is fresh, extracts
should be published in daily bull for
the benefit of those interested in foreign
events and international affairs, just as ex-
tracts from the reports of conSulS have been
published for the benefit of whom they may
never had a Secretary of State who was
broad enough to realize that the people of
the country are just much interested in
such subjects as he is and are equally en-
titled to all of the information that comes
to him from the agents of the government
in foreign countries. Occasionally a keen
searcher of the pages of the annual volume
of Foreign Relations discovers some valu-
able Information that has been suppressed
for a year or two, but that does not often
happen.
AS the American Journal of International
Law is to be edited in the department there
is grave danger that it may occasionally
contain some news of interest from the
dispatches of our ambassadors and minis
tiers abroad, which the public is entitled to
know, and the Society of International Law
will serve useful purpose if it will en-
courage such plumbers. The chronicle of
international events in the first number of
the journal shows that the editor has
knowledge of news and he mas given us
valuable review of the occurrences of the
last year.
Members may be elected by the executive
council upon the payment of the annual
dues of s.. which entities them to copies of
all the issues of the Journal of International
Law. and a life membership may be secured
by the payment of 500. Applications should
be made to Prof James B. Scott, Depart
ment of State. Washington.