The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-27
ROOSEVELT HEADS
 HE PEACE LEAGUE
Organ zation Is utgrowth of
 North Carolina ongreSs
STEP IS VERY IMPORTANT
Senator McCreary, Who Is the Active President of the League, Says MT. Soosege.t, In Taking Honor
 ary Leadership, Will Aid.

New York, July 26-President Roose- welt has accepted the honorary presl-
 dency of the Peace and Arb rbitration league, which is the outgrowth of the
 North Carolina congress, and which lus
 as its objective adequate armament and effective arbitration. President Rooso- velts letter accepting the honorary
 presidency was made public today by
 Hayne Davis. former president of the
 league. It follows:
 My Dear MT. Davis-I am in TO-
 ceipt of your letter enclosing notice of
 my election as first honorary president
 of the Peace league, and gladly ac-
 cept, for I most emphatically believe
 that the whole American people sh ould
 tical programme for peace; that is to the doctrine that we should provide
 adequate armament to protect us all against aggression and at the sare
 time strive for the arbitration of any disputes which may arise between us
 and any foreign power. In other words I cordially sympathize with your ar-
 nounced purpose to secure present pro- tection for the nation and at the sane time make as rapid progress as possl- bile toward permanent world peace. AS you we'll say, we sh ould have an un.
 occasionally superior power in our own
 possessions and in the waters adjacent
 thereto in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans; and we should also do every
 thing possible to secure agreements with all governments to respect each others territory and sovereignty and to arbitrate all other questions
 "I should be delighted to see Senn-
 tor McCreary president of the league if you do not feel you can continue in
 that office. Sincerely yours,
 (signed) THEODORE ROOSEVELT.' Senator James B. McCreary of Ken lucky is the active president of the league.
 Commenting upon the Presidents let ter, Senator McCreary said today:
 "The importance of the Presidents | action in unqualifiedly assoclating him. self with the peace league and witt, its programme is manifest.
 ''The full significance of his act, how.
 ever, depends upon viewing it in tho
 light of the fact that the Anglo -Frencf
 form for arbitration treaties, which has been the most popular in Europe here. tofore, reserves. among other things all questions affecting the vital inter. ests of the contracting powers. 1 The President has now thrown hi. l influence on the side of those Amerl
 cans who demand that all governments expressly recognize and agree to re- l spect the most vital rights of nations tn at Is, their territory and sovereign. ty, and at the same time provide fol arbitration of all other questions, upni this guarantee, as safe foundation for international justice.
 "The approaching North Carolina Peace congress will take place at Greensboro. october 11-16, at wh ich time that city will be celebrating It's centennial. This will be the first peace congress in America at which the ad. vocates of national armament and in- ternational arbitration will stand side by side as mutually helpful opponents of the two inseparable agencies for se- curing peace and justice in the inter national realm"