IS© POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



sider the universal execution of treaties of arbitration; (2) a congress 

 of nations should be created in which every nation shall have repre- 

 sentatives. Such sentiments had been expressed before; but this 

 seemed to be greeted with more enthusiasm than any other similar 

 proposal of the past. After having closed the session at St. Louis, 

 the members of the conference visited Washington and requested Presi- 

 dent Eoosevelt to invite the governments of the world to send delegates 

 to a Second International Peace Conference. This he did. All of 

 the powers replied favorably except Eussia and Japan; their refusal 

 was owing to the prosecution of the Eusso-Japanese War. When 

 hostilities ceased it was thought that Eoosevelt would ask the Belgian 

 government to issue a formal invitation to all powers concerned. But 

 during the Portsmouth Peace Conference the Tsar, through his diplo- 

 matic representatives, expressed his desire to have the privilege of 

 calling the Second Peace Conference, since he had called the first. 

 Eoosevelt gladly consented. Just recently the Tsar summoned the 

 conference to meet in the fall of 1906. 



Hitherto the work of the Interparliamentary Union has been merely 

 preliminary, working up an organization, creating a desire for an 

 international congress. In the past year important steps have been 

 taken. In August, 1905, the union held its thirteenth annual meeting 

 at Brussels. Here two things of importance were accomplished. In 

 the first place, the South American and Central American republics 

 Avere invited to send delegates to the next annual meeting of the union. 

 Up to that time the Latin American states had not been asked to 

 participate in this movement. Secondly, a commission of seven mem- 

 bers was appointed to draw up a plan for an international congress. 

 Mr. Bartholdt was the American member of the commission, which met 

 in Paris in November, 1905. The plan of the commission provides: 

 That an international legislature of two houses shall be established; 

 that the lower house, or popular branch, shall represent the various 

 legislatures of the world; that the upper house, or senate, shall be ap- 

 pointed by the various governments; and that this legislature shall 

 meet periodically, probably at the Hague. This plan of the commis- 

 sion will be the basis of discussion at the next meeting of the union. 



So far the Interparliamentary Union has merely created an organ- 

 ization which has been given no legal status or official recognition by 

 the various governments. It has had no appreciable influence on in- 

 ternational relations. Nevertheless, its work to the present time has 

 been of considerable value and importance. It has secured the member- 

 ship and earnest support of the highest-minded and most capable 

 legislators of the world. Through its members and its own influence 

 it has created and stimulated feelings in favor of universal peace, and 



