Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-10-30
THq GREAT AMERICAN NAVY AT THE t1AGUE|
 FORECAST OF PEACE PROCEDURE

ors; the "Japanese House Taxr case Japan vs. Great Britain vs. France were all settled at the court.
 On October 21, 1904, President Roose- welt caused note to be issued to all nations suggesting q second conference, Favorable responses were received. The war between Russia and Japan was, however, in progress, so the conference was postponed. Upon the conclusion of peace, the president turned over to the czar of Russia the honor and privilege of calling the conference, as the czar had initiated the previous one. Repre- sentation was obtained for the Central and South American republics, and in all forty-four nations assembled. With the exception of Costa Rica every na. tion in the world participated. The rep resentatives of Honduras arrived too late to take part in the conference. It was, truly, world conference.
 The conference revised the customs of land and marine warfare, providing how hostilities shall be opened, regulated the laying of submarine mines, forbade the bombardment of unfortified towns, reg ulated the right of neutrals during war on both land and water, and re-enacted the balloon projectile convention passed by the first conference, to be in force eight years. It also established an in ternational prize court, and perfected the court of arbitration heretofore es- tablished. The use of force in the col lection of international debts was for. bidden. It rendered vastly more diff cult the opening of hostilities by provid. ing that either party may demand a reference of the dispute to the Hague tribunal. It regulated the transforma. ton of commercial ships into public armed vessels. It prohibited the cap. ture of mail upon the high seas. Obhg- atory arbitration as to certain matters was endorsed by resolution.
 The conference sat from June l5 to October IS, 1907. Its text called for a third meeting in 1915, and the arrange ment and distribution of program two years before that date.
 By unanimous vote it adopted the fol lowing resolutions: "The second peace
 
 adopted by the conference of 1899 in regard to the limitation of military bur dens; and in view of the fact that mili- tary burdens have considerably increas- ed in nearly all countries since the said year, the conference declares it to be highly desirable for governments to undertake again the serious exam ination of this question. The fact taat the recommendations of the first con ference were nearly all the subject of action by the second, leads one to the belief than the third will take favorable action on those of the second. That the conference appreciated the public opinion of nations is evidenced by the preambes of many of the articles. For illustration, "Animated by the sincere desire to work for the maintenance of general peace; recognizing the solidar- ity uniting the members of the society of civilized nations; desirous of streng- thening international justice etc Each measure adopted could easily be made the subject of a volume of inter esting reading. The court has been call ed upon recently by Great Britain and the United States to settle the long standing Newfoundland fisheries ques' tion. Germany and France have also agreed to arbitrate an incident growing out of the flight of French soldiers in Germany.
 Considering the diversity of opinions and interests represented, and the fact that matters could not be passed by maiorities as in the local bodies, the work of the two conferences was truly remarkable. Peace was made an in- ternational asset. Itb maintenance re- suits in advantages and benefits to the world as. unit, and war operates as a blint on all things progressive, irrespee- tive of zones and national boundaries.
 Let us hope that before long, nations which insist on war as means of set ting disputes, clearly contrary to the