COLONEL ROOSEVELT IN ENGLAND. 



velt to accept the presidency of the proposed Peace Commission. 

 The real negotiations for international peace gravitate by certain and 

 inevitable steps towards the selection of Theodore Roosevelt as the 

 first " Chief Justice " of the world's first permanent international 

 court. 



Such a court is now certain. This is settled. Details are un- 

 decided. Even so important a matter as the precise number of 

 Powers to be represented in the court has yet to be determined. A 

 denial would be as yet easy as to any positive assertion, beyond the 

 broad fact that such a court is now accepted by every Power whom 

 Senator Knox asked to agree to a permanent international tribunal. 



PROVISION OF THE HAGUE CONFERENCE. 



The first Hague Conference provided for the machinery by 

 which a list of arbitrators, two from each country, was provided, 

 from which a Peace Court could be selected when needed. The 

 second Hague Conference left this machinery unchanged, but added, 

 the United States proposing and Germany adding its powerful in- 

 fluence, a permanent admirality court, ready to act as a tribunal of 

 last resort when war came. 



Secretary Knox proposed to seven Powers, England, France, 

 Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, Italy and Japan, a permanent 

 arbitral court, each Power to name two members who will always 

 be ready to hear cases and to be organized like other courts, with a 

 docket, rules and a recognized procedure. 



The colossal fact which ever-reaches all the rest and brings the 

 world nearer peace than at any time in the History of Man, is that 

 the Powers whose common action now governs the world and 

 renders the opposition of any lesser power ridiculous, have agreed 

 on a permanent court along Secretary Knox's lines, details to be 

 decided later. 



Germany was expected to refuse and Germany was almost the 

 first power to accept '' in principle." France accepted, but desired 

 changes in the way in which the judges were selected so as to take 

 care of the interests of the lesser powers. 



