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The Fourth American Peace Congress. St. Louis, April 30 to May 4, 1913Source: The Advocate of Peace (1894-1920), Vol. 75, No. 6 (JUNE, 1913), pp. 124-126Published by: World Affairs InstituteStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20666714 .

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l2i THE ADVOCATE OF PEACE. June,

There are many good hotels in The Hague, all con

veniently located, and with the exception of two or three

expensive houses the rooms are generally of moderate

price. Mr. der Mandere will also send to any who desire

it an illustrated Guide to the Exhibitions which are

being held this year in Holland. As these various events are sure to make the season

one of the most memorable in the progress of the peace

movement, the friends of international peace should

make extraordinary efforts to be at The Hague in

August.

The Fourth American Peace Congress. St. Louis, April 30 to May 4, 1913.

The weather was fair; the fourth city of the United States was at its best; the congress, now a conspicuous part of peace history, was an attractive and successful event. No writing limited as this must be can do jus tice to any of the many distinguishing features of that

delightful week, whether it be the Jefferson Memorial dedication which preceded, the customary disappoint ments, the oratorical contests, the efficiency of the

management, the sectional conferences, the Shaw Gar den party, the truly American spirit of the congress, the popularity of Andrew Carnegie, the greetings to the Chinese Eepublic, or the many effective utterances.

The first great disappointment was the inability, finally, of President Wilson to attend the congress ; the second was Secretary Bryan's unexpected mission to the Pacific coast and the announcement that he could not reach St. Louis in time for his engagements at the

congress Saturday, May 3. Other disappointments grew .out of the management of the sectional meetings. Had there been no such meetings the program would have been deprived of a number of its richest features, but some sections were attended by but a few. These sections were probably insufficiently advertised and

emphasized at the general sessions immediately pre ceding. Of course, future congresses will not make this mistake.

The general efficiency of the management was pro foundly appreciated by all, especially by those of us who have helped in the organization of previous con

gresses. Indeed, the most impressive feature of this congress, as compared/ with others, was the under

writing of the enterprise by the Business Men's League of St. Louis and the business-like handling of details.

While previous congresses have been financed largely by wealthy friends of the cause, this was manned from the outset by this great business organization. This in itself is significant and hopeful to every one inter ested in the success of future congresses in particular and in the more general problem of peace organization and propaganda. The Business Men's League of St. Louis has the thanks and genuine appreciation of all true friends of international peace. It was particularly fortunate in the selection of Mr. James E. Smith as chairman of the executive committee and of Prof. Man ley 0. Hudson as chairman of the program committee, both of whom, wholly without pay, spent themselves un

sparingly from the inception of the congress. Mr. Walter B. Stevens' experience as secretary of the

World's Pair in 1904 enabled him to render invaluable aid also as executive secretary.

A new feature was introduced into this convention

through the Navy League of the United States. On the claim that it is a peace society, it requested the

privilege of sending delegates to the congress, and asked for a place upon the program. It had not oc curred to the officers of the congress that this League, organized primarily for the development of the Navy, would wish to be affiliated thus with the peace move ment. The committee in charge, however, telegraphed that its delegates would be welcome to the congress, but expressing regret that the program was full. The

significance of this entrance into the organized peace movement by the Navy League of the United States remains to be seen. This much is certain, however, that the militarists have by their conduct, consciously or unconsciously, paid a decided tribute to the dignity and importance of the organized peace forces in America.

Sunday, April 27, notices of the congress were read from practically all of the pulpits throughout the cen tral West. Tuesday, April 29, representatives from six colleges in Missouri took part in an oratorical con test under the auspices of the Intercollegiate Peace Association. Hon. Seiden P. Spencer presided. The young men who delivered orations were Mr. Edward V. Nash, of Central College; Mr. John L. Tierney, of St. Louis University; Mr. George C. Wilson, of the Uni versity of Missouri; Mr. Arnold J. Tuchschmidt, of

Washington University; Mr. Sidna P. Dalton, of West minster College, and Mr. Prank E. Birkhead, of Wil liam Jewell College. The first prize of $75.00, offered by the International Peace Association, went to Mr. Tierney; the second prize of $50.00, offered by the Fourth American Peace Congress, was awarded to Mr. Birkhead. Four o'clock, Wednesday afternoon, at the auditorium of the Third Baptist Church, the Interstate Oratorical Contest of the Intercollegiate Peace Asso ciation was held, the president of the association, Dr. Charles F. Thwing, presiding. The contestants were: Mr. Vernos M. Welsh, of Knox College, Illinois; Mr. D. L. Wiekens, of Morningside College, Iowa; Mr. John L. Tierney, of St. Louis University; Mr. J. Arthur Debardleben, of Nebraska Wesleyan University; Mr. W. J. Sherman, of Dakota Wesleyan University; Mr. Lewis M. Stuckey, of Southwestern Uni\Tersity, Texas. The prize of $100, given by the Fourth American Peace Congress, was awarded to Mr. Welsh.

Wednesday, April 30, was given over to peace exer cises in all of the high schools, colleges, and universities of Missouri, and to a solemn high mass at the College Church, St. Louis University, at which the Most Rev erend John J. Glennon, Archbishop of St. Louis, deliv ered an address. There was also a meeting of the American School Peace League, held at the Sold?n High School in the evening, where addresses were given by President Thwing, of Western Reserve University, and Mrs. Fannie Fern Andrews, secretary of the Amer ican School Peace League. Dr. James L. Tryon, director of the New England Department of the Amer ican Peace Society, gave his illustrated peace lecture at the McKinley JEigh School on the same evening, a lecture which was repeated several times during the

week.

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1913 THE ADVOCATE PEACE. 125

But the Wednesday event of most importance to the

public was the dedication of the Jefferson Memorial at Forest Park, St. Louis, in the afternoon. The Federal

Government, the city of St. Louis, the directors of the St. Louis Fair of 1904, and many of the peace dele

gates united in the dedication of that imposing memo rial building in honor of Thomas Jefferson, a building costing nearly half a million dollars, paid for out of the proceeds of the St. Louis Fair. It has been turned over to the historical societies of Missouri, and is a most

fitting climax to nine years of most successful industry and exceptional management on the part of Ex-Gov ernor David E. Francis and his competent and enthu siastic supporters. The dedication exercises, marking the 110th anniversary of the signing of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty and the tenth anniversary of the dedi cation of the St. Louis World's Fair, were held before the great arch of the building within which is Karl Bitter's commanding statue of Thomas Jefferson. After the unveiling of this statue occurred the presenta tion of the memorial to the city by Mr. Francis, fol lowed by Mayor Kiel's acceptance on behalf of the

people. The Jefferson oration was delivered by Prof. William Thornton, of the University of Missouri. Miss Natalie Norton, of Ellsberry, Mo., a descendant of Thomas Jefferson, unveiled the statue. A bronze

tablet, representing Monroe, Livingston, and Marbois in the act of signing the Louisiana Purchase treaty, was unveiled by Mrs. Dixie Wells Manning, also a de scendant of Jefferson. The closing address was made

by U. S. Senator Jones. Visiting officials and many delegates from the Peace Congress attended the Jeffer son Memorial dinner at the Jefferson Hotel in the

evening. Besides many private dinners and entertainments,

the reception tendered by the Wednesday Club, at their commodious quarters at the corner of Taylor and West minster place, was quite generally attended by the dele gates. But the climax of the social features of the week was the automobile tour of St. Louis, which started from the Jefferson Hotel at 3 o'clock Friday afternoon, and ended with a reception by the executive committee to the speakers and delegates at the Missouri Botanical Garden, more familiarly known as "Shaw's Garden." Mr. and Mrs. Carnegie received the visitors most graciously, and refreshments were generously served. For those who have never seen St. Louis be fore, the journey through the residential section and the parks was a revelation. The parks of St. Louis are unsurpassed, and Shaw's Garden will always be a

delightful memory for the hundreds of pacifists who listened to the music of bands and birds, and who met each other in friendly intercourse that beautiful day in

May. That this congress was a truly American Peace Con

gress is shown by the fact that officially accredited dele gates were sent from six of the Southern American Eepublics, and that there were representatives also from Canada. It was a source of peculiar gratification that Mr. De la Barra should appoint Mr. Mariscal as official representative from Mexico. The official Latin-Ameri can delegates to the congress were: Mr. Calder?n, Min ister from Bolivia; Mr. Pezet, Minister from Peru;

Mr. Calvo, Minister from Costa Eica; Mr. Peynado, Minister from the Dominican Kepublic; Mr. Cordova,

Minister from Ecuador, and Mr. Withee, the Charg? d'Affaires from Ecuador; Mr. Membreno, Minister from Honduras, and Mr. Lefevre, Charg? d'Affaires from Panama.

Mr. and Mrs. Carnegie were entertained in the home of Robert S. Brookings, but all St. Louis did its share to show appreciation of Mr. Carnegie's services to St. Louis and to the development of the West. Mr.

Carnegie visited the St. Louis library, made possible by his personal gift, and expressed his enthusiastic

pleasure at its beauty and adaptability. The news

papers vied with each other in giving display to his ad dresses, personal interviews, and remarks.

It would be impossible to enumerate all of the inter

esting and useful things that were said at the congress. Congressman Bartholdt's presidential address; the

paper by Prof. Philip Van Ness Meyers ; the great stirring eloquence of Dr. Jenkin Lloyd Jones; Hon. Charles W. Fairbanks' explanation of our national atti

tude, especially in relation to the Panama tolls; Prof. William I. Hull's treatment of the problems awaiting the next Hague Conference; the duty of the United States actively to promote international peace as urged by Prof. Paul S. Reinsch, were all above the average peace congress addresses.

Thursday evening, at the Third Baptist Church, Prof. Jay W. Hudson, of the University of Missouri, delivered a decidedly impressive address, entitled "The Ethics of War." By this address, if for no other reason, Professor Hudson becomes one of the new and

important peace forces brought to light by this con

gress. Mr. John Lewis, editor of the Toronto Star, and the Hon. Benjamin Russell, Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, are among the others who added

significantly to the program. Dr. James Brown Scott's treatment of the Panama tolls and the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty was, as is usual with him, scholarly and convinc ing.

News that the United States had recognized the Chinese Republic was received by the congress with marked enthusiasm, and by a unanimous vote the fol

lowing cablegram was sent to President Youan Shi Kai:

"To the President of the Chinese Republic at Pekin :

"The Fourth American Peace Congress, in ses sion at St. Louis, and composed of representative and peace-loving citizens of America, congratu lates the Chinese Republic upon its formal recog nition by its sister republic of the United States, wishing it a future even more illustrious than its past."

The section on Relations of Business and Interna tional Peace, with such representative business men as

Mr. Jacob G. Schmidlapp, Mr. Eugene Levering, and Mr. Leroy Goddard, should have had a much larger audience. Senator Theodore E. Burton, who presided at the Fifth General Session, Saturday morning, deliv ered an effective address at the 85th Annual Meeting of the American Peace Society, over which he, as presi dent, presided Saturday afternoon at 4 o'clock. In the absence from this meeting of Secretary Bryan, who had been engaged for the principal speech, President S. C. Mitchell, of the University of South Carolina, gave

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126 THE ADVOCATE OF PEACE. June,

an instructive address. Saturday evening, President David Starr Jordan addressed the sixth and last ses sion on the "Appreciation of the Waste of War." At the same meeting, Mrs. Percy V. Pennybacker, presi dent of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, spoke most charmingly upon "Peace Pageants." In the place of Secretary Bryan, Dr. Thomas E. Green, of Chicago, delivered perhaps the most eloquent ad dress of the congress, entitled "The Burden of the Na tions." Dr. Green sp?ke for more than an hour to an audience as breathless as an audience can well be, at the expiration of which time all present arose in their enthusiasm and cheered until the speaker came forward and thanked them. The meeting on the whole was most inspirational.

The next day, Sunday, May 4, practically all of the churches of St. Louis and vicinity gave places in their

pulpits to various speakers and delegates, who spoke to the congregations on various aspects of international

peace. Sunday afternoon, President Bartholdt con ducted a German-American mass meeting at the Lieder kranz Club, where a German section of the Missouri Peace Society was officially organized. Over five hun dred delegates registered at the Odeon, but the total number of delegates is known to have been much larger. The Missouri Peace Society added materially to its

membership. Of such, all too briefly told, was the Peace Congress

of St. Louis. The volume of proceedings will contain over five hundred pages, and will be sent to any ad dress for the cost of printing and delivery, which is estimated to be $1.00. This volume should be in the hands of every delegate. It should be treasured not

only as a souvenir of a most important and happy occa

sion, but as a historical document of genuine worth. The newspapers of the city rendered a most agreeable service by the generous publicity they gave to the meet

ings. The committees on reception, entertainment, and the rest are deserving of high praise. The friends of international peace may well be gratified that the great central West has read of this Congress and been

inspired by the messages which it gave. The educa tional influence of that gathering cannot be measured, but it was very great. Men and women from all quar ters of this hemisphere know each other better and understand the peace movement more intimately be cause of it. Pacifists across the world will be encour

aged. The abolition of war will be more easily accom

plished because of the Fourth American Peace Congress at St. Louis.

Editorial Notes.

The Bryan ^n his interview on April 24 with

Commission the representatives of foreign govern Pian. ments, some thirty-six in number, who constitute the diplomatic circle at Washington, Secre

tary of State Bryan presented in writing for their con

sideration the following suggestion as to an agreement for the preservation of the peace of the world:

"The parties hereto agree that all questions of what ever character and nature, in dispute between them, shall, when diplomatic efforts fail, be submitted for

investigation and report to an international commission

(the composition to be agreed upon) ; and the contract

ing parties agree not to declare war or begin hostilities until such investigation is made and report submitted.

"The investigation shall be conducted as a matter of course upon the initiative of the commission, without the formality of a request from either party; the report shall be submitted within (time to be agreed upon) from the date of the submission of the dispute, but the

parties hereto reserve the right to act independently on

the subject-matter in dispute after the report is sub mitted."

The Secretary explained to them that the suggested agreement was in addition to arbitration treaties, and intended to supplement them. lie has had replies from a number of the governments, some of which have asked for further explanation, but most of which have frankly expressed their approval of such an agreement.

At the Carnival of the Home and A Peace

Peace League held recently in Phila

delphia, the Pennsylvania Arbitration and Peace Society exhibited in a booth, ten by twelve

feet, a most effective peace display. The display con sisted of a graphic representation of peace and industry pictured by a modern ?-cean liner contrasted with the hatred and isolation promoted by a dreadnaught. There was a picture of William Penn's Treaty with the

Indians; a picture of a carload of cannon going to be melted and cast into machinery at the close of the Civil War. Charts showing the cost and burdens of war were also shown. Around the sides of the booth were

flags of all the nations. But the central object of the

display, located in a corner of the booth, was a repre sentation of justice. In carrying out this conception two large scale balances were secured. In one pan of the first set was placed a miniature battleship and a tiny cannon, and in the other pan five soldiers dressed in

Montenegrin costume. In the opposite pan was placed a large toy battleship, a toy cannon, and twenty soldiers dressed in German uniform. The balance, of course, was swung decidedly in favor of the German military establishment. Over this set of balances was hung a

sign calling attention to the fact that justice was im

possible through an appeal to arms. In each of the

pans of the second balance was placed a court of arbi

tration, each made up of miniature men dressed in

diplomatic costume, one standing in the center and two others seated back of a bar of justice, across the front of which was written, "Justice by Law." The two courts were identical in every respect and the pans of the balances swung evenly. Over this was hung a sign which read, "Right is Might in Courts of Justice." The carnival was essentially for school children and their

parents, many thousands of whom visited this display.

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