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Show FOR ALL MANKIND. In the now historical Indcntical note which President Roosevelt addressed to Japan and Russia on June 0, he declared that he felt that the time had come when, "In tho Interest ot all man kind." ho must endeavor to sec If it was not possible to bring to' an end "the terrible and lamentable contlict" then being waged; and tho president urged the Russian and Japanese Jap-anese governments not only for their own sake but "in the Interest of tho whole civilized world" to open direct negotiations of peace with one another. Since that date all mankind, tho whole civllUed world, has watched the progress of peace negotiations with breathless intorcst. Today the Christian world can and will thank-God thank-God for peace, and every American with his heart full of emotion may be proud that peace was brought abefut by Theodore Roosevelt, or whom the words of tho Sermon on the Mount may reveiently be recalled, saying, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." Single-handed, unaided and alone Theodore Roosevelt has wrought this wondrous tiling, with the cold critical criti-cal eyes of the whole world upon him, with the utmost reluctance on the side of cither party to come together, wltti most powerful lnlluences pulling pull-ing them asunder. Truly he must wonder at himself, great as he Is and stands today. For nearly ninety days the Ameil-can Ameil-can president labored to overcome obstacles ob-stacles by the side of which mountains were mole hills, and he won. National Nati-onal honor and vital interests were opposed to each other by each nation. The president appealed to eacli na-tlon's na-tlon's head to yield. The "Autocrat of All the Russlas" and the "Son of Heaven" gave wav to the earnest prayer of n single-minded, simple-hearted simple-hearted American gentleman, who was unconscious of and oblivious to all persons and everything except an intense desire to see a terrible con-lllct con-lllct ended for the sake of all mankind. man-kind. The crucial act of the peace-making was when the deadlock occured on August 15. The president had urged the nations to come together. He brought their envoys together with a consummate tact and discretion. With the expression oniy of a lofty aspiration for peace, he had declared that they should settle tlicraattcralone unaided, uninlliienccd. Rut when on that day they separated, eacli bcllev-Ing bcllev-Ing that tho end of peace negotiations was at hand, ho Intervened; Just as ho did in the war of labor and capital when ho sent for Mitchell and Morgan; and by Ills undoubted honesty of purpose, pur-pose, sincerity of Intention, seriousness serious-ness of reason, and weight ofargiu ment led to tho present final lesult. As tho New York Times, which his bitterly opposed tho president, said well at tho time; "In tho most Irregular Ir-regular manner in tho world, and con-trary con-trary to all the rules of the game, Mr Roosevelt has taken a hand In the peace proceedings at Portmouth, and wherovcr red blood llows through men's veins in tho neutral civilized world he will bo applauded for his act. It Is so lofty that it rises above tho petty etiquette of international pro-ccdure. pro-ccdure. It Is high-minded, noble, and useful to the nations of the world. There Is not a sovereign in Europe that would have dared beckon ono of i the plenipotentiaries away from tho : board to ply him with peaceful coun- sols and admonitions. Tierc is none I that could have done It without glv-! glv-! Ing serious ollense. They will not be offended with .Mr. IWoscvelt they i will like him better for It, as all the , world will." i Rear In mind that all this was dono alone. There was no John'Hay. Eli-hu Eli-hu Root is in Labrador. Taft is in the Phlllplnes. Tho men who have been called by his enemies, his br&ins, were gone beyond call. Alone ho had directed the greatest diplomacy with greater diplomacy than even Cromwell Crom-well attempted. It Is genius. It Is grertness by all human rules. During' Dur-ing' tills whole time there lias not been a mumur af adverse criticism. He has simply disarmed criticism by his disinterestedness, humanity and skill. Hereafter the cobwebs may gather In the foreign oillces and chancelleries, chan-celleries, but the dealings Of nation with nation must become more direct by reason of Ills Influence. The Now York Sun, which docs not love Mr. Roosevelt, at the time when peace looked darkest said: "If the peace conference at Portsmouth, In Its Issues and consequences more epochal, than the historic IJcrJIn conference, con-ference, were to result In the termination termin-ation Of hostilities In the far East, tho fame as a peacemaker of Theodore Theo-dore Roosevelt, twenty-sixth president of the United States, would reach the remotest parts of the earth, and ho would go down In history as the strongest and wisest character of his time." There spoke a true, if un-consclons un-consclons prophet. Another severe critic of the president, the Sprlngtleld Republican, was compelled to say: "Tho causo ennobles him beyond com-paic, com-paic, and tho figure lie presents to the imagination in this hour, when the balance trembles and the anxious world awaits the result with quickly alternating hope and fear, Is a superb Illustration of the glory that may be won, not by the warriors, but by the peacemakers." There he stands, the heroic ilguro of our day! For all time In American history there will be Indissolubly linked link-ed with the name of Lincoln the Liberator that, of Roosevelt tho Peacemaker. Peace-maker. Seattle Post Intelligencer. |