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Show 240 241 "The Conference expresses the wish that the question with regard to rilles and naval guns. as considered by it, may be studied by the governments with the object of coming to an agreement respecting the employment of new types and Calibers. "The conference expresses the wish that the governments, taking into consideration the proposals made at the Conference, may examine the possibility of an agreement as to the limitation of armed forces by land and sea, and of war budgets." It is well known that Great Britain and the United States specifically reserved the right to bring to discussion at the Second Conference the limitation of armaments and that the following resolution, proposed by Great Britain and seconded by the United States, was unanimously adopted; "The Second Peace Conference confirms the resolution adopted by the Ctmference of 1899 in regard to the limitation of military expenditure: and inasmuch as military expenditure has considerably increased in almost every country since that time, the Conference declares that it is eminently desirable that the governments should resume the serious examination of this question." The question of limitation of armaments is thus in the nature of unfinished business for the Third Conference, and it is morally certain that it will make its appearance at the conference, whether or not it be included in the official program, for, like Banquo's (ihost, it will not down. it is inconceivable that nations should look for relief from the burdens of armament in economic exhaustion rather than by an appeal to reason solve the problem by mutual concession while there is yet time without the waste that threatens their economic existence. it is a question for statesmanship, and the failure to meet it and solve it argues a lamentable and inconceivable lack of statcsmanship. It may well be that the Third Conference will not content itself as did the Second with the recommendation that a future conference meet "within a period corresponding to that which has clzipscd since the preceding conference," but will either rec- ommend or provide that a conference of the nations be held at regularly recurring intervals, thus raising the international and occasional conference to the dignity of an established institution. Many more subjects will undoubtedly be included in the program for the Third Conference, but however important any or all of them may be, the establishment of a stated international conference would be a crowning achievement of diplomacy, for an instrumentality would be created and set in operation whereby the world's interests might be considered, promoted and safeguarded by an international assembly capable of legislatingr ad referendum for the nations because composed of representatives of the nations. Thus would be realized the hope of the founder of international law, for, to quote the words of Grotius, written in 1625, in the gloom of the Thirty Years' \Var, "It would be useful, and indeed it is almost necessary, that congresses of Christian powers should be held, in which the controversies which arise amongst some of them may be decided by others who are not interested, and indeed measures may be taken to compel the parties to accept peace on equitable terms" MR. CRAPSEY: We have present on the platform one of the most distin- guished workers in this great movement for the peace of the world as it has expressed itself in positive institutions. We have with us the llonorahle \V. l. Buchanan, of New York, who was one of the United States delegates to the Second Hague Conference, who represented the United States in the Peace Con- ference which established the Central American High Court of Justice, and represented President Roosevelt at the inauguration of that court. He was also United States High Commissioner to Venezuela and is: at the present agent at The Hague Court for the Venezuelan cases. lie was the high arbitrator between Chile and Argentina, which established the rule between those states of perprtual peace, which was signified by the erection of the statue, The Christ of the Andes, between those countries. it is hardly necessary to say that this session of the Congress is highly honored by the presence of .\lr. Buchanan and it will not Consent to adjourn until it bears fully from him. (Applause) |