The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-09-24

FAILURE or PEA O. col FERENc E
a. TIE 3Ae 1ETliE lzAck
OF PEEP nov.

= RI v ! ! 2 y =
THE HAGUE SEPT After hay.
ling been IN session over three months,
and with adjournment probably .
month IN the distance. It Is recogniz,
ed generally. and even by the mos;
optimistic IN the peace movement,
that the second international peace
conference has been and VII be at It's
conclusion barren Of results leadtns
to permanent measures Of benefit to
the peace Of the world.
Mr. Choate, Of the American delega-
don. however. is stilI optimistic re-
gnding the results, even on the great
questions. and especially that Of per-
manent court Of arbitration, being sat
lsfed that the principle is admitted.
He thinks that once the conference
has concluded It's session it win be
an easy matter to overcome the pref
ndices concerning the allotment Of
judges. and that thereafter the es-
Establishment OF the court VIII be an
easy task. The general opinionamong
the other delegates, however, differs
from that Of Mr.. Choa.e.
They telisTe that the sd1ptlOn OF
Sir Edward Fry's propose! entrusting
the governments with the task Of ind
ing a system by which to elect the
judges vas masked method for bury
ing the whole affair. rs they declare.
once the conference is ended, the gov
ernments win not study the question
Of judges to greater extent than
other questions at issue. such as the
limitation Of ornaments.
No Date For Another.
Even the proposition for a future
meeting of the conference. which was
unanimously adopted on Saturday, has
been so altered as to suppress its
most important part. namely. the per-
Iodicity Of the meetings, merely pro-
vidiug for the calling of third con-
ference, but establishing nothing with
ences.
The prevailing opinion. as expressed
by one of the leading delegates, is that
the absence of results in the confer
enee on the great questions was due
to the lack of preparation by all the
countries represented. This, he said.
was especially striking in the case of
the American delegation, which was.
supposed to have come here in com
plete accord with the Latin.American
countries. This accord. however.
neither existed nor had it been reach
ed during the conference.
Indeed, what is to be dreaded, he
declared, is that the chief result OF
the conference will be a growing feel
ing or dffidence on the part Of the
South Americans toward Washington
as, rightly or wrongly. they accused
the United States of having neglected
them and of caring only for working
in accord with Great Britain and Ger
many, thinking that union with these
great powers would be sufficient to
carry out any project while the facts
proved to the contrary, as in the case
Of the permanent court of arbitration,
which represents victory for Brazil
over the compact formed by America,
Great Britain. and Germany.
Further Criticism.
1t is generally remarked that tie
United States should have come to the
conference with the certainty Of hav-
ing the support Of all the Latin,Ameri-
can countries or should have abstain
ed from proposing projects that we're
destined to meet with opposition, per-
haps exaggerated, as in the case of
the allotment Of Judges, but nevertne-
less invincible. Thus far the only
project which does not regulate war,
but tries to prevent IT, and which was
passed by the narrowest of margins
was that concerning the forcible col
lection of contractual debts.
The remainder of the work will keep
the conference busy until the middle
of October. It Is easy to foresee that
the only success VIII be attained by
Germany. who prevented the adoption
of projects to which she is opposed,
and by the spall States. which have
proved taht it is impossible to reach
world agreement without their sup
port
1t is estimated that the conference
has cost altogether $1.30O,ooO.
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