Evening star., 1921-07-20
STOCKHOLM PEACE
! MEETING HELPFUL
Coming Conference Of Inter-
parliamentary Union
?; .Stirs Interest.
BY HAL oFLAHERTY.

~ wireless to The Star and Chicago Daily
News. Copyright. 1921.
STOCKHOLM. Sweden, July 90
President Harding's call for q dis
armament conference in the fall has
aroused added interest in the con-
ference Of the Interparliamentary
Union. which will open in Stockholm
August IT. Through its labors dur
ing the twenty five years preceding
the great war the Interparliamentary
Union laid the basis for practically
every movement toward international
peace. being directly responsible for
the conferences at The Hague, for
the London naval declaration, and
indirectly for the organization of the
present league of nations.
throughout its existence the Inter-
parliamentary Union has struggled
toward just such conferences as
upon the unions published documents
regarding disarmapent the delegates
to Washington will probably lay the
basis for future action along that
line.
U. 8. to BE Represented.
Ten notions have appointed dele
gates to attend the Stockholm con-
ference. which but for the tragic in
reference of the great war would
have been held in 1914 to celebrate
Sweden's Tooth anniversary of un-
broken peace. Senator William B.
Mckinley of Illinois will head the
American delegation and it is ex
pected that he and the British dele
gates will play leading role in the
revision work of the Interparlia-
mentary Union. which must be di-
rected along new lines owing to the
league of nations having partially
absorbed the unions former role OF
International
In some quarters the opinion is
held that the interparliamentary
union Is no longer needed, that its
activity Is merely supplementary to
the league and that perhaps it is a
stumbling block to the latter organi-
zation But those who have devoted
their lives to building parliamentary
groups throughout the world and
compiling monumental works evolved
from the interparliamentary meet
tngs refuse to allow trivial objec-
tions to halt the unions progress.
Refer to League of Nations.
They point out that the league of
nations cannot impose it's will and
that before any of its decisions can
take effect they must be ratified by
the member states through the
league Of nations or other measures
Invaluable aid could be extended to
the league by the interparliamentary
conference and it's groups if the lat
ter should undertake to bring about
the. fulfllment of recomme nda tions
and urge the ratification of agree
mentS.
Furthermore, there exist great in
fernational problems not properly
within the sphere of the league, such
as social reform, improvement of
labor conditions. the principles of
FREQ trade and protection, the rights
of religious minorities, the advance
mont of Intellectual interests and ef-
forts directed against intemperance
and moral depravity. Such move
ments find suitable means Of express
sion through an unofficial body such
- tho interparliamentary union.
Sessions Meeting Place.
The Stockholm conference next
month will be held in the beautiful
riksdag building. the home of the
Swedish parliament. Nothing has
been left undone to make the session
successful. During the meeting the
delegates will consider methods of
aiding the league of nations and the
International labor council. Just as
before the war. they will discuss
such questions as the reduction of
armaments, the economic and f1nan-
cial problems facing Europe and the
erGAnixation Of procedure for con-
cfliation within the league of ma
ttons. Throughout their stay in
Sweden tho delegates will receive all
tho honor due them as the repre-
sentatives Of the law-making bodies
Of the various states