Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-11-10
AN ARMISTICE MERELY HALTS WAR;
1T DOES4NOT NECESSARILY END IT
Differs Entirely Froma Treaty of Peace, Which
Isa Compact Between Contending Parties
to Abstain From Further Hostilities.

right on. This; however. is not likely
to occur. A belligerent nation that
has asked for an armistice usually is
ready for peace and ready to meet Its
be.
Conference Then Is Arranged.
Following the signing of the armis-
tice protocol all the governments in
terested agree through diplomatic
channels as to the time and place Tor
holding an international congress or
conference to determine the dennlte
terms of peace.
The congress or conference is held.
The men representing the different
powers involved have pienary. or
full, powers and hence called "pleni-
potentiaries"-men able to act fully.
empowered to negotiate. sign and
conclude treaty of peace with
then comes the name of the national
opponent or opponents.
The definftive terms Of peace are
finally agreed upon and the treaty
an actual. tangible peace Of paper or
parchment-is signed by all the plen-
ipotentiaries present.
There is only one original treaty
of peace. 1t is kept by one of the
fled copies to all involved for rati-
ication.
Next Step Is Ratification.
The next step is the ratification by
the heads of every government in
volved of the treaty or of the certi-
fed copy thereof. AS practically all
governments now are representative;
this means ratification by the legisla-
well as by the titular head. In the
United States it is the Senate, the
upper house of Congress. which rati-
fies treaties. The President must then
sign it.
Following ratification either one
of two procedures may be followed.
The first is the deposit with the gov
eminent keeping the original treaty
of the various notifications. That gov
eminent then furnishes certificates of
ratification to all the other govern
ments involved. Or all the govern
ments involved may exchange certifi-
Gates of ratification, each with the
other, a somewhat tedious process
when the number of co-belligerents is
large, but simple one when only
United States and Spain exchanged
notifications, for example, in 1893.
No matter which scheme is follow
ed. 1t is done on day agreed upon.
On that day protocol either OF the
deposit of notifications or of the ex-
signed by the plenipotentiaries, who
would have in the meantime remained
either on the spot or within easy call.
This protocol would attest the fact
, of the deposit or of the exchange. as
the case might be.
Much Time Is Required.
In other words, men, acting for ma
, tions. bind those nations to peace
terms. The nations scrutinize the
terms ana put their O. K on them
Then the same men again attest the
fact that the nations have q. KID
what they have done. and with those
final attesting signatures on the pro
toco1 of deposit of or exchange OF
ratification" the peace is consum-
mated.
The foregoing will give some idea
! of the intricacy of the procedure. An
example of the time consumed is the
| treaty made in 1898 between this
country and Spain. A protocol for the
suspension of hostilities was signed
in August. 1898, and it was December
before the peace conference at Paris
agreed on terms. Only two nations
were involved in this war; in the
present one there are more than a
score and doubtless the time con-
SnIAed will he longer