Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-06-01
FOUNDATION OF INTERNATIoN-
AL LAW AND PEACE.

tue greater uOuN SOuttoiN iNSS'
sun attracts the earth, and the earth at
tracts the moon. This law holds good
in regard to communities. Each indi-
vidual has his rights, but the interests
Of the family modify and affect those OF
any one member. The rights Of each
family or household are subjected to the
interests Of the street or precinct; those
of the precinct give way to the general
welfare of the city. The town is domin-
ated by the county, the county by the
State, and in this country each State by
the United States. The respective rights
of each body may be expressed and de-
fined by laws and constitutions, but
those laws only express a greater and I'M
written universal law. The interests Of
the larger body Of men ought to be held
superior TO those Of the less. To all
within itself the smaller body may be
complete in its authority, but beyond
that the law seems to be that the larger
the body the more powerful and import
Ant its rights, interests and commands.
The local law may be supreme for local
matters, but for interests extending
equally to others the larger naturally
dominates the less. As in war the
higher ground naturally commands the
lower, so do the social interests Of man
kind the individual. Society is a part
of the Divine plan in creation; it is not
an a~fter-thought and contrivancc OF
man. Here lies the basis of information
al law.
We are not advocating n mechanical
and utilitarian theory. II is not merely
because of the greater value and power
of numbers that this is SO, but rather
because all human laws are but attempts
TO express the Divine law or idea ; and
mar is not created for himself alone, but
superior to this social life is next to that
Of the Supreme Being, the dominating
thought in the life Of man upon the
earth. We all see this until we get up
to the point of nstioualities. But why
should we stop there? We read, per.
haps, the history of the petty States Of
Greece, each at first and for ages, like
the Spartans, segregating themselves,
and in a little valley not larger than
many Of our counties. They strove to
isolate each itself from the other States
with their whole force and with as much
earnestuess rs the South in our day has
! sought TO separate itself from the Union.
We do not wonder and we do not regret
that such isolation came to an end. 1t
was a war against the social principle.
II the institutions of one community are
better than those of another, there must
be some way in which they can spread,
or they will stsguate and purify, like
confined air in an unventilated room.
International law, following true re-
ligion, pointed out that all things must
finally bow, not TO physical force among
little nations, but to justice, equally
the right Of all not war, but TO the all
~pervading interests Of mankind In a
state Of peace All nations talk about
their independence and supremacy, but
no nation can be supreme as a fountain
Of laval are equally subject to the
eternal laws of justice, right and truth,
and no nation is independent Of these
for a day. All the dreams Of universal
empire have grown u Of this idea OF
universal law, wrongly developed. Al
eIauder, Caesar, Charlemagne, Napoleon
l., have dreamed Of universal empire,
and, next to the personal ambition OF
the men, there was a perception more
or less vivid Of this truth, that the vari-
Gus States and Nations Of men were never
intended to be e~yerjarriug, warning
bodies, fighting and destroying each
other. The Roman Empire especially
sought to lay down certain principles Of
universal law and justice. And in this
they were right. But when they under
took to usurp sslishly both the de6ni-
ton and the administration Of this law,
and for their W ACKNOWLEDGMENT, they
committed the most monstrous injustice,
and their power soon dissolved.
International law must arise among a
republic Of nations. So far we have
only a foundation for it in all past time.
1t must grow into recognition, just
about rs our Constitution grew out Of
the desire for equity, peace and closer
relations among the States. But there
will be increasingly recognized a larger
number of universal laws growing out
Of the natural, eternal or specific rela
tons Of nations, all tending to greater
peace and closer union. In proportion
as these laws are true, when once as
scented to, nations and mankind never
can go back from them; or if they do,
they bring on themselves the just re-
pugnapce Of all other communities.
There is an address by David Dudley
Field, delivered last October, Of An In
ternasional code, specifying many sub
jects,. from International copyright to
the case Of the Alabama, aud suggest
ing the preparation by n body of public
lists Of a code which shall embody the
matured judgment Of the best thinkers
and most accomplished %jurists, and then
the procuring of the sanction of the diff
fe'eut nations. All attempts in this d.
rection are praiseworthy. In proper
ton as such a code becomes fully cor
rected and expressive, will wars lessen,
and all attemps to violate such a system
wake up an u~umistakable adherence
among the true and faithful rationale
ties, rendering rebellion to it impossible.
F. DILLON EAGAS, Pastor Of st. James
Church, breaches his last sermon to-
night, Thursday Bishop Kip having