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| _—, 4 were discussed ; on December 8th, the Economic ; on December oth, the Military aad Psychical aspects. On the morning of Sunday, yoth, the general discussion was continued and on that afternoon there was held a Special Session of the Women's International League only, to discuss its own particular business. At this session it was’ decided to send Messengers to various Governments to ‘take the report of the Conference and to press for ‘action. _~ | 1s MESSENGERS. The Messengers of Peace who were appointed were the Presi- ,_ ik Jane Addams (U.S.A.); Jeanne Mélin, from the Ardennes ier: nce) ; and Catherine Marshall, Vice-President of the League (Great Briiain). They undertook to endeavour to interview mem- bers of the Governments in Holland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, England, and France. Mrs. Biddle Lewis (U.S.A.), on her return to America, was to present the message there in conjunction with Miss Maude Royden. If later on Messengers could be found to go to other countries, this would also be done. __ What the chief resolution does is to demand a World Congress, _ in the conviction that all the Powers—late belligerents on both sides as well as neutrais—would be able to make a far more just and therefore more durable peace than was made by the Victors alone in 1919. The Messengers would remind the Neutrals that, ‘ ucder the constitution of the League of Nations, they may, “advise the reconsideration by Members of the League of Treaties which have become inapplicable, and the consideration of international onditions whose continuance might endanger the Peace of the orld.” They would tell the Entente Governments of the misery and wrong of which they. had heard reports at the Hague from ‘unimpeachable witnesses ; they would remind them of the wretchedness of Europe and appeal for a great act of statesman- ship in the making of a New Peace based truly on the principles enunciated in the Preamble to the Covenant. They would urge the Governments of the Central Powers to be willing to meet half- way. any proposals for a better settlement and any invitation to join in, international co-operation. Loot ts THE SPEECHES. - Miss Addams struck the’ key-note of the Conference in her opening sentences, saying that unless Treaties were based upon consent they were always liable to be upset by force. We must _ do away with the illusion that progress could be obtained by military force. The only sure foundations werc. justice, goodwill, and mutual understanding. mS Lae . Mrs. Swanwick, in opening the discussion on the evil political effects. of ‘the. Peace Treaties, maintained that their. worst result: was that they had “retarded the establishment of a.League af Nations, universal, democratic, and fully effective." The Preamble . of the Covenant laid down the principle of international co-opet+ ation, but it was impossible to found ‘co-operation on a penal settlement. A false start had been made by excluding the Central Powers from membership of the League of Nations at its. inception, and since then the handing about of populations against their will and the discreditable partitioning of the German. colonies had weakened belief in the impartial justice of the League, while armics of occupation and the economic disasters caused by the Reparation clauses had so embittered feeling that it had become a serious problem how to get Germany, Russia, and America: into the League. The only way was for the States. Members of the League to conduct Foreign Affairs in such a way 45 ‘to. assure the States outside the League of the truly: international spirit of. the League. New Treaties were essential for this... - Sat ‘ It has already become a tradition in the Women’s Inter- national League that, ifa wrong has. been done, it should, be the: section belonging to the country which does the wrong that should appeal for right. So here, in all the indictments brought -against -the Treaty of Versailles, it was the French who were most insistent: on the wrong, and they were supported by the British and Americans. The delegates from: the German section were silent on this point (although several distinguished German guests gave evidence of facts from their own. knowledge) and the special reports which have been asked for from the occupied arcas. were presented by an English Friend, Miss Marion Fox, and a Swedish lady, Mrs. Wagner Landquist. They agreed that the - situation was very much worse than in August and that bitterness of feeling was greatly intensified in the.. Rhineland, - partly owing to the, distressing contrast between the poverty of the people and the wealth of the soldiers of the Armies of Occupation (one American soldier gets daily pocket money equal to the total. weekly wage of a German workman); partly to the terrible. exasperation ‘of the housing need; owing to the exorbitant claims of the victors partly 5