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Central

EVENTS OF THE MONTH

Foreign Affairs

Of importance second only to that of The Hague, may be reckoned the peace conference which closed America's Peace its labors at Washington Conference in the middle of December. The five states of Central America: Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala, were there represented, and the results of their gathering promise a new epoch in their history. No less than eight treaties were signed by these representatives and now await ratification by the governments involved. The avowed purpose of the conference was "to promote the unification and harmony of interests as one of the most efficacious means to prepare for the fusion of the Central American peoples into one single nationality." Provision has therefore been made for the following: The neutralization of Honduras troops of other states not being permitted to cross Honduran territory; a system of extradition which will prevent one republic being made recruiting ground for a rebellion in another; the development of a correlated system of higher education; the establishment of a Central American bureau of information; the harmonious adjustment of tariff duties and the building of a Central-American railroad to facilitate intercourse between the states. Recognizing also that for the furtherance of harmony, there must be some central authority for uniform legislation, provision is made for regular and automatic meetings of the conference. Commissions are to be appointed by each government to consider economic and fiscal matters which may be made uniform in Central America and delegates are to be appointed for a common conference to convene on the first day of the following January. The framing of laws affecting the common interests of the states will be the task

of this conference and those which are to succeed it each year.

A Permanent

Peace Court

But valuable as these provisions are for the future growth and development of the states, the most important action of the conference would seem to be the establishment of a permanent judicial court for the settlement of controversies between any of the Central American states. It is desired that the court shall represent "the national conscience of Central America. To it the various governments are to submit all points of difference between each other. Each government is to name a judge for a term of five years, at an annual salary of $8,000. Three judges must agree in a final decision on any case. For the present this "Central American Court of Justice," as it is named, will sit

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consequent prosperity of Central America, and it is a satisfaction to know that our own Secretary of State, Mr. Root, was instrumental, with President Diaz, of Mexico, in securing the holding of the conference just closed.

An event of historic importance is the trial in St. Petersburg of the 169 members The Trial of the of the first douma, who, Signers of the upon the issuance of a deViborg Manifesto cree for its dissolution by the Czar, adjourned its sessions to Viborg in Finland. There, it will be recalled, they issued a manifesto declaring against

party. The spirited defense made by the accused was a noteworthy feature of the trial. They declared their indifference to any sentence the court might impose, as they considered themselves answerable only to the nation and to history. M. Petrunkevitch made a remarkable speech in which he affirmed: "If we are imprisoned we will know that we have fulfilled our mandates as true citizens of Russia, and that the country approves of

The forcefulness and impassioned character of the speeches, which were made in presence of the Parliament, produced the impression that the judges and not the accused were arraigned.

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In view of the Russian Premier's present attitude toward the peasants, this rare photograph, taken two years ago, is particularly interesting. Its publication in Russia caused the arrest of the photographer

On the last day of 1907 the trial was concluded, and 167 of the signers of the

The Sentence

Viborg manifesto were convicted and sentenced to three months' imprisonment. The sentence carries with it the loss of all political rights. Two of the signers were acquitted on the ground that they signed under misapprehension. Unless an appeal is taken, the sentence goes into effect January 20. It is a little remarkable that meanwhile the deputies are permitted to remain at large without bail. It is believed that the prominence of the accused persons has occasioned leniency on the part of the government. Men who have been foremost as liberal leaders for several years past, are thus withdrawn from public participation in Russian politics, but they will undoubtedly still be influential in directing the course of events. The Russian bureaucracy has not yet found a way to silence such men, or prevent the people from looking to them as leaders.

The Russian

Douma

In order to get a douma "capable of productive legislative work" and willing to "coöperate" with the government, the electoral law was changed so as to give the conservative classes of voters a preponderant voice in the third elections. At the end of two months we find, however, that no important bills have been passed. Though the first two doumas sat less than three months they were accused of working too slowly and were therefore dissolved. On the other count the third douma has shown less subservience than was expected. Already one of the leaders of the conservative Octoberist party has demanded the extension of the Budget rights of the douma and has advocated the exercising of a genuine control over the spending of the people's money. In his speech before the assembly this Octoberist spoke of the "uneconomic" methods of public finance now practiced, which must be changed. As the Octoberist center is directing the course of

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the douma's activity, this attitude toward the Budget question is most significant. If the opposition can muster only a third of the votes of the assembly, yet the majority has now definitely declared itself for genuine constitutionalism. The reactionary parties have but little support even among the propertied classes. The revolutionary organizations are showing no signs of activity either in or outside the douma. The reform movement seems to be progressing, recovering the ground it had lost when reactionary influences predominated at the court and the second douma was dissolved.

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The inevitable has happened in Germany. Only a Editor Harden few weeks

and the ago the radCamarilla ical editor Harden was acquitted of libel in his exposure of the scandals existing in high military and official circles. At that time suit was brought against him by General Kuno von Moltke. His acquittal was a serious blow to the prestige of the army and of the court. Immediately another suit was brought against the editor by the state's attorney at the request of Prince Eulenburg. In the new case Harden's witnesses seem to have modified their former testimony, and the reports of the opinions of the great Bismarck were not allowed to weigh in the editor's favor. He was found guilty and sentenced to four months' imprisonment. Whether this conviction will help the camarilla, or inner circle about the Kaiser, may

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