The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-27
Second Conference at The
 Hague Will Be Important
WILL MEET AT KNIGHTS HALL
United States Is Taking Leading Part In the Arrangements for the Com. Ing conferenoe-Requl
 of Representation.

of Representation.
 Washington May 26.-Probably not un- til the doors of the stately Knights hall are thrown open to the second conference at The Hague, June IS, next, will 1t be possible to know the exact strength of the American contingent. among the dee- gates. At the first conference, only two American states were represented-the United States of America and the United States of Mexico. If all the republics of the Western Hemisphere take advantage of the opportunity to participate in the second conference, that has been opened to them by the efforts of the American secretary of state, there will be no less than twenty-one of the governments Of the three Americas represented. including delegations from Cuba, Hayu and Santo Domingo.
 Some of the republics will have no rep resentatives at the conference but It Is impossible to say even now who will be the absentees. In some cases economical considerations have operated to prevent
 
 naming delegates, though the reason Is not so bluntly stated in the destinations. Others are actually at war or in a state of revolution and even anarchy. A very few are actually indifferent to the ap- proach of the international gathering which may involve for them the most momentuous questions and completely change their relations with the world powers.
 A Generous Response.
 On the whole, however, there has been a generous response from most of the American republics to the Cars invita- tion to join in the deliberations of the second conference and 1t Is certain that the American representatives will be large The fact Is, that only twenty seven powers sgnedl the -treaey of Ju1v 2y, 1sg9, providing foN "the specific settae- ment of international disputes and un- less there Is an enlarged representation at the second conference from the East ern Hemisphere, 1t might be possible for the 1three Americas to dominate the pro- ceedings. if there were the slightest signs of division In the eastern ranks.
 American forethought is responsible for this large representation from the west for 1t was owing entirely to the effort Of the Washington state department thur Russia was induced to include the Central and South American republics In the n- vitation to the conference and the same department also was the means of induc Ing the republics of this hemisphere to accept the Russian invitation, by means of pressure brought to bear through diplomatic channels and through personal intercourse between the secretary of state and the diplomatic representatives in Washington for these republics. It was not an easy task to arrange for this representation The tretaty of 1s99 In one article reads:
 "The conditions on which the powers. who are not represented at the interna tlonal peace conference, can adhere to the present convention shall form tho subject of a subsequent agreement among the contracting powers"
 Lengthy Correspondence.
 It therefore became necessary for the Washington state department to enter into correspondence with everyone of the twenty-seven powers, represented at the first conference, to secure their assent to the admission of the South and Central Americans This was finally done. how ever, and that the work was necessary one is evident from the fact that no one can now be admitted to the second con ference, unless 1t has adhered to the convention in 1899.
 So on June IA. the day ts~fore the open ing of the second conference, it has been arranged that the delegates of all the American states that have accepted tho invitation shall assemble at The Hague, and by their signatures, formally accom- plish their adhesion to the arbitration convention. When the conference meets on the following day this protocol will be laid before 1t and a resolution will be adopted admitting the new delegates to membership.
 To Act in Unison.
 It has been anticipated that all tho American delegates will act in unison on all questions submitted to the con- ference. 1t is true that on some of the most important propositions to come up before the conference the American dele gates will agree in principle. 1t is true that they will differ widely in matters of detail and in respect to the best methods of applying these great princi- ples Touching the most generally im- portant of these propositions and the one which 1t Is confidently believed will really yield substantial results-that looking to a wider extension of the processes of settling disputes by arbitration-the Amer ican delegation wtll present an unbroken front This is not the result of planning or secret meetings for it is known to the world that the American states have ad yanced far beyond those of Europe in recourse to the peaceful ways of arhi- tration in averting warfare; therefore there Is nothing inconsistent in their att tltude on this respect. nor can the Euro pean delegates assert that they have been taken by surprise at the solidity of the Americans.