The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-06-19

Mexico peace conference of repre-
sentatives, of all the five Central
American countries was held in
Washington in November and De-
cember, 1907, and at this conference,
which was attended by Representatives
of the United States and Mexico, a
series of treaties was made of the
greatest practical Importance, among
them being a treaty which provides
for permanent international court
for the trial and decision of all ques
tons whatever arising between Cen
trail American countries This court
has just been inaugurated in Costa
Rlca. ln.this a long step has been
taken in the direction of prosperity
and enduring peace in Central Ameri-
ca, and the United States has won and
receives the gratitude of the good and
peaceful citizens of all those coun-
tries.
The building of the Panama canal,
the most colossal undertaking of the
century, the successful completion of
which is now assured, makes it more
important to the United States than
ever before that there shall be no hos
tile control of the route between
either our great Atlantic and Pacific
ports and the isthmus. For that rea-
son it is of especial Importance that
the people inhabiting the islands and
shores of the Caribbean shall main
tain independent, peaceful and pros
porous governments. The policy of
the United States to aid them in MAIN
tanning such governments has been
prosecuted with special success dur
ing the last four years.
With the active participation of the
delegates of the United States the
second international peace conference
at The Hague in the summer of 1907
entered into agreements, which, taken
together, have been declared by high
authority to constitute one of the
greatest advances ever made toward
the reasonable and peaceable regula-
ton OF international conduct Twelve
treaties agreed upon at that confer
ence, all designed for reducing the
probability or mitigating the horrors
OF war, have been approved by the
senate and ratified by the president of
the United States.
Following the action of The Hague
convention in providing greater facili-
ties for the use of the permanent
court of arbitration at The Hague,
the United States has put itself upon
the basis of the peaceful settlement OF
international disputes by concluding
general treaties of arbitration with
England, France, Spain, Portugal, The
Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Nor
way, Switzerland, Italy, Mexico and
japan, while many other similar
treaties are in course of negotiations.
Under the general treaty with Great
Britain the two countries have agreed
to arbitrate before The Hague tri-
bunal the difficult and vexing ques-
tions, which for more than a century
have caused so much i'll will and con-
troversy, regarding the rights of our
fishermen in the fisheries on the
coasts of Newfoundland and the mari
time provinces of Canada Congress
at its last session made the necessary
appropriations to defray the expense
of this arbitration.
The questions between Japan and
the United States which caused 50
much public excitement in the year
1907 have been disposed of to the
satisfaction of the people of both
countries. The friendship and sym
pathy between the two governments
have now been signalized by the gen.
eral treaty of arbitration concluded
between them, by the invitation and
acceptance of the invitation for the
visit of our fleet at Tokyo and by the
response of the United States to the
invitation of Japan to participate in
the great exposition which is to be
held at Tokyo in the year 1912, for
which congress has authorized the
expenditure of one million and half
dollars, the greatest sum ever appro-
priated for foreign exposition.
The unfriendly feelings among the
people of China which grew out of
the enforcement Of the Chinese ex-
clusion law and led to the boycott of
American goods have disappeared,
and American trade in China has been
restored to its natural course. The
United States has secured the assent
OF all the nations having possessions
IN the Orient to a united effort with
China to put an end to the curse of
opium In the Orient, and an interna-
tional conference under the leadership
OF the United States has been agreed
upon to meet at Shanghai on the 1st
OF next January for the purpose of
devlslng and formulating an interna-
tlonal agreement to prevent its pro-
duction, sale and use.
But the browning act ip-the drama
was that in which the president him
self took the initiative, halted the
armies of Russia and Japan, bringing
about an honorable and, it is to be
hoped, enduring peace.
Yet nothing has added SO much to
his just fame as his persistent and
irrevocable refusal to break the I'M
written law of the republic by accept
ing a nomination for a third term.
By this act of self abnegation he
places his name and fame in the Sc
cure keeping of history by the side of
that of the immortal Washington.
With this splendid record of the
last four years in the management of
our domestic and foreign affairs,
backed by the history of nearly half
century Of Republican policies, the
public mind must rest in the convic-
ton that the continued ascendancy
of the Republican party will best pro-
mote the interest of the people and
advance the glory and stability of the
republic.
The work OF the convention will
soon be concluded. The platform