The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1907-09-27
PUTS BLAME ON
THE AMERICANS
Failure of Peace Conference at the
Hague.
the LACK OF PREPARATION.
A Foreign Delegate Declares This Was
Particularly Striking in the Case
of the American Delegation-Was
Not in Accord With Latin-American
Countries.

The Hague (By Cahle). = After
having been in session over three
months, and with adjournment prob
ably month in the distance, it is
recognized generally, and even by
the most optimistic in the peace
movement, that the second interna-
tional peace conference has been and
will be at its conclusion barren of
results leading to permanent meas
ures of benefit to the peace of the
world.
Mr.. Choate, of the American dele
cation, however, is still optimistic
regarding the results, even on the
great questions, and especially that
of a permanent court of arbitration,
being satisfied that the principle is
admitted. He thinks that once the
conference has concluded its session
it will be an easy matter to over
come the prejudices concerning the
allotment of judges, and. that there
after the establishment of the court
will be an easy task. The general
opinion among the other delegates,
however, differs from that of Mr..
Choate.
They believe that the adoption of
Sir Edward Fry's proposal entrust-
ing the governments with the task
of finding a system by which to elect
the judges was a masked method for
burying the whole affair, as they de-
clare, once the conference is ended,
the governments will not study the
question of judges to greater ex-
tent than other questions at issue,
such as the limitation of ornaments.
No Date For Another.
Even the proposition for future
meeting of the conference. which
was unanimously adopted on Satur-
day, has been so altered as to suppress
its most important part, namely, the
periodicity of the meetings, merely
providing for the calling of third
conference, but establishing nothing
with regard to converting future con-
ferences.
The prevailing opinion, as ex-
pressed by one of the leading dele
gates, is that the absence of results
in the conference on the great ques-
lions was due to the lack of prepare
ton by all the countries represented.
This, he said, was especially striking
in the case of the American dele
cation, which was supposed to have
come here in complete accord with
the Latin-American countries. This
accord, however, neither existed nor
had it been reached during the con-
ference.
Indeed, what is to be dreaded, he
declared, is that the chief result of
the conference will be growing
feeling or difidence on the part of
the South Americans toward Wash
ington 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 Germany, 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 per-
manent court of arbitration, which
represents a victory for Brazil over
the compact formed by America,
Great Britain and Germany.
It is generally remarked that the
United States should have come to
the conference with the certainty of
having the support of all the Latin
American countries or should have
abstained from proposing projects
that were destined to meet with OPP
position, perhaps exaggerated, as in
the case of the allotment of judges,
but nevertheless invincible. Thus,
far the only project which does not
regulate war, but tries to prevent it,
and which was passed by the narrow
est. of margins, was that concerning
the forcible collection of contractural
debts.
1t is estimated that the conference
has cost altogether $1,300,000.