president of the American Peace Society, was in the chair. Addresses of welcome were made by Hon. Charles S. Deneen, Governor of Illinois, and others. Hon. Jacob M. Dickinson, the president of the congress, was unable to attend, but the speech prepared by him for the occasion, the subject of which was "The Progress of Peace," was printed in the May number of the "Advocate of Peace" before the congress opened. President Taft, the honorary president of the congress, who was also unable to be present, sent a letter in which he spoke of the important part taken by the United States as a peacemaker and conciliating friend among the nations, and assured the delegates that the influence of his administration would be exerted to the utmost in the promotion of the peace cause. Dean W. P. Rogers of the Cincinnati Law School, in an address on the "Dawn of Peace," gave an account of the development of private law and expressed the opinion that there was nothing in the relations of the nations to which the general principles of law could not equally apply as to the relations of individuals. Dr. Benjamin F. Trueblood, secretary of the American Peace Society, spoke on "The Present Position of the International Peace Movement." He reviewed briefly the advance made by the movement since its beginning in 1809, especially from the point of view of the settlement of questions by arbitration. He remarked that,

Arbitration is no longer an experiment. It is the settled practice of the nations. A score of disputes to-day go naturally to arbitration where one gives rise even to talk of war.

Commenting on the work of the two Hague Conferences he said that although the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague was a substitute for war practically, if not theoretically, adequate for the adjustment of all international disputes, a step of still greater moment was. taken by the second Hague Conference for a more perfect substitute for force in the settlement of international differences when it voted for the principle of "an international court of arbitral justice, with judges always in service and holding regular sessions." He believed that the high-water mark of the work of the second Hague Conference was reached when, by providing for a third Hague Conference, it practically adopted the principle of holding periodic meetings of the conference in the future. The topic "The Drawing Together of the Nations," the subject of Monday evening's meeting, was dealt with in addresses by Rev. H. T. Kealing of Nashville, Tennessee, Professor Paul S. Reinsch of the Uni

versity of Wisconsin, and President David Starr Jordan of Leland Stanford, Jr., University. This was the widest departure of the week from the point of view of diplomacy and international law or business interests, from which the peace movement was frequently considered by the congress. The interdependence of nations, the progress of the colored race in America, and the biology of war, each had its place. On the same evening at a special meeting in Music Hall, presided over by Miss Jane Addams, addresses were made by Joseph B. Burtt of Chicago on "Fraternal Orders and Peace," Professor Graham Taylor on "Victims of War and Industry," and Samuel Gompers on "Organized Labor and Peace." It was shown that the interests of labor and industry were both identified with peace. Professor Taylor made the point that the blind and unconscious forces of industry were just as actively and effectively at work for the cause as those which are directed and organized consciously for that end.

A session of the congress was given up the next morning to the business men, at which the relation of commerce and peace was considered. Hon. George E. Roberts, President of the Commercial National Bank of Chicago, presided. The speakers were W. A. Mahoney of the Chamber of Commerce, Columbus, Ohio; Hon. James R. Arbuckle, consul of Spain and Colombia at St. Louis, Mo.; Marcus M. Marks of New York, President of the National Association of Clothiers, whose paper was read by Rev. Charles E. Beals; Hon. Joseph Allen Baker, member of the House of Commons; and Mr. Harlow N. Higinbotham. At this meeting the prevailing opinion was that the prosperity of commerce was dependent upon a settled condition of international peace and protest was made against further increase of armaments or the settlement of international questions by force. Mr. Higinbotham proposed that in future expositions the engineries of war should not be exhibited. Mr. Baker appealed to the congress to use its influence to get the United States to take a step in the direction of limiting armaments, since the powers of the old world, owing to mutual suspicions and traditional prejudices, were unable to take the initiative themselves. Mr. Baker's appeal had great weight with the congress and found expression later in the platform of resolutions.

A special session of the congress was given to legal aspects of the peace movement. Professor William I. Hull of Swarthmore College spoke on "The Advance Registered by the Two Hague Conferences;" and Prof. Charles Cheney Hyde of Northwestern University on "Legal Problems

Capable of Settlement by Arbitration." Both writers presented papers which will remain among the most valuable contributions to the literature of the congress. Hon. James Brown Scott, Solicitor of the Department of State, Washington, D. C., was unable to be present. His paper, which was entitled, "Some Question Likely to be Considered by the Third Hague Conference" was read by Mr. James L. Tryon, Assistant Secretary of the American Peace Society. This paper made an interesting event in the congress in connection with the speech that followed immediately afterward by Hon. William I. Buchanan, who discussed the attempt made by the Second Hague Conference to establish a court of arbitral justice, a real high court of the nations. Among the next steps forward Dr. Scott included: (1) a world treaty of obligatory arbitration; (2) the establishment of a Court of Arbitral Justice, perhaps making it the same in its constitution as the International Prize Court by giving that court civil as well as prize jurisdiction; (3) making the Hague Conferences periodic, and (4) regulating the status of foreigners in belligerent territory, particularly in reference to military charges laid upon them. Great applause was called forth when it was suggested by Dr. Scott that by the time the Third Hague Conference meets Germany may be ready heartily to join the majority of the nations in a world. arbitration treaty.

"The Next Steps in Peace Making," the general topic of the Tuesday evening meeting, was in close sequence to that of the afternoon, but was treated almost entirely from the point of view of the limitation of armaments, strong speeches on behalf of limitation being made by Dr. Jones, Edwin D. Mead and Hon. Richard Bartholdt, whose sentiments were warmly applauded by the congress. At this meeting Mr. Edwin M. Ginn of Boston spoke on his proposed School of International Peace.

On the same day an Intercollegiate State Oratorical Contest was held at the University of Chicago, a Woman's Meeting, at which Mrs. Lucia Ames Mead was the principal speaker, and a meeting at which Hamilton Holt of the New York "Independent" gave a popular stereopticon lecture on world federation. Professor S. P. Brooks of Baylor University, Texas, the organizer of the State Peace Congress of 1907, presided at the latter meeting.

The business session of Wednesday morning was spent in the adoption of a platform of resolutions and in listening to a symposium of addresses by different workers in the peace movement on its progress within their own field.

The event of the week was the visit on Wednesday afternoon by Dr. Wu Ting Fang, the Chinese Ambassador, and Count von Bernstorff, the German Ambassador, representatives of the British, French and Japanese Embassies, and Hon. Richard A. Ballinger, Secretary of the Interior. Mr. Ballinger expressed warm interest in the peace cause and made a plea for a higher conception of international citizenship—an earnest desire for which the United States had shown in its efforts to promote the success of the Hage Conferences and the Hague Court. Hon Richard Bartholdt presided at this meeting.

The congress closed with a banquet at the Auditorium Hotel and the Auditorium Annex at which the distinguished speakers of the afternoon were reinforced by Hon. James A. Tawney, General Frederick D. Grant, and others. At this banquet the announcement was greeted with applause, that Hon. John R. Lindgren, Swedish Consul of Chicago, had presented Northwestern University a fund of $25,000 for the promotion of international peace and interdenominational religious fellowship by regular courses of lectures and other means.

The platform of the congress is given below, the preamble being omitted:

Resolved, by this second United States national peace congress that public war is now out of date, a relic of barbarism unworthy of our time, and that the nations of the world by joint agreement, by a league of peace among themselves, ought to make its recurrence hereafter impossible.

Resolved, that no dispute between nations, except such as may involve the national life and independence, should be reserved from arbitration, and that a general treaty of obligatory arbitration should be included at the earliest possible date. Pending such a general treaty, we urge upon our government and the other leading powers such broadening of the scope of their arbitration treaties as shall provide, after the example of the Danish-Netherlands treaty, for the reference to The Hague court of all differences whatever not settled otherwise by peaceful means.

Resolved, that the prevailing rivalry in armaments, both on land and sea, which imposes such exhausting burdens of taxation on the people, and is the fruitful source of suspicion, bitter feeling, and war alarms, is wholly unworthy of enlightened modern nations, is a lamentable failure as a basis of enduring peace, and ought to be arrested by agreement of the powers without delay.

Resolved, that this peace congress expresses its high appreciation of the action of our government in the recent conclusion of twenty-three arbitration treaties, and in the promotion of friendly relations between the various American republics. It recognizes with special satisfaction what was done by our government and representatives at the second Hague conference in behalf of a general treaty of obligatory arbitration, a court of arbitral justice, the immunity of private property at sea from capture in time of war, and the establishment of a periodic congress

of the nations, and in support of the proposition of the British government for limitation of armaments. It respectfully and urgently requests the President and the Congress of the United States to take the initiative, so far as practicable, in an endeavor to complete the work of the Second Hague Conference in these various directions, and especially to secure an agreement among the military and naval powers for a speedy arrest of the ruinous competition in armaments now prevailing. As an immediate step to this end, we urge our government, in obedience to the charge of the Second Hague Conference, as well as the first, that all nations should earnestly address themselves to this problem, to create a special commission of the highest character for its consideration, whose report shall serve as a basis for the action of our delegates at the Third Hague Conference.

Resolved, that this congress earnestly indorses the movement so auspiciously begun by the governments of Denmark and Great Britain to provide at public cost for constructive measures to promote international good understanding, hospitality, and friendship, and appeals to our own government for broad and generous action upon these lines.

Resolved, that this congress, representing all sections of our great country, appeals to our churches, schools, and press, our workingmen's and commercial organizations, and to all men of good will, for increased devotion to this commanding cause and such large support of its active agencies as shall strongly advance the great measures which are to come before the next Hague Conference, and shall maintain our nation in high and influential leadership in behalf of international justice and order.

THE FIFTEENTH LAKE MOHONK CONFERENCE ON INTERNATIONAL

ARBITRATION

The fifteenth annual Lake Mohonk conference on international arbitration met at Lake Mohonk, Ulster County, N. Y., May 19, remaining in session till May 21, 1909. The meeting, well attended and enthusiastic, has a two-fold claim upon the public at large: first, by reason of the remarkable, powerful, and thoughtful address of its chairman, Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia University; and second, because of the platform adopted by the conference, which is sanity itself. It is to be regretted that space does not permit the JOURNAL to print in full President Butler's address, outlining as it does the progress made within the last few years and the causes which threaten the world's peace at the present day, which President Butler found to be the strained. relations between Great Britain and Germany, based upon a misunderstanding of each other's motives. Part of Dr. Butler's address follows:

The history of the second Hague Conference is still fresh in our minds. Although not everything was done that we had hoped for, yet when the cloud of