, 1873-10-08
THE WAY TO ARBITRATION.

l0A y " tiIlCl IILO COMMUNICATION
with foreign powers, with a view to estab-
fishing a permanent system OF information
al arbitration, will, probably have no very
great Influence and the Queens gracious
reply, IN which she does not promise to
do as she is asked, but simply says she
will do what she can to encourage arbi-
tratlon when the occasion for it arises,
will have still less. A permanent court
OF arbitration is an impossibility for a long
time to come, and the practice must gra-
dually harden into law by it's employment
by such nations as England and the Unit
ed States, which can employ it with much
less difficulty than the states of Europe.
The need of it is unspeakable, and one
Geneva swallow has made the air seem
summary to ONE ardent enthusiasts but
we fear that there will be more swords
than %plowshare8 made in Europe for some
generations to come.
Europe spends every year two thousand
millions Of dollars to keep up her war
establishments, and the interest on her
war debts amounts 70 seven hundred and
fifty millions more. Add to this the loss
OF production by conscript service, and we
have a yearly cost that battles conception.
The people never want war They ask
for bread and are given bullets. Instead
of useful education, they receive military
drill, and are told to be thankful if they
are only impoverished. and not murdered.
But, though war still costs so much
and we have had so lately an example of
its terrible brutality, it is as wrong to
suppose that the Geneva arbitration is an
exceptional occurrence as that it makes
wars improbable in the future. In 1888
all outstanding claims between England
and the United States were adjusted by
joint commissioners, Joshua Bates, of
London, being umpire. In 1894 the Por-
tendic claims arising from the blockade
OF the Moorish coast by France were re-
terred 10 the arbitration of the King of
Prussia. In 1919 the good offices of
France were employed to settle a dispute
the King OF the Belgians decided a dispute
between England and Brazil. Ia 1865
the good offices Of England. adjusted q
paltry but mischicVous misunderstanding
about the railroads between Fir nee and
Belgium. 10 1869, at the suggestion of
Prussia, a conference of the great Powers
offered to Turkey and Greece a plan that
was accepted for the settlement of their
Cretan difficulties and last of all we have
the famous Geneva Congress.
1t will be seen that arbitration has al
ready made no slight progress. It is re-
cognized as a duty among nations, the
neglect OF which is objectionable, to at
tempt to settle by means Of the kind
Offices of a third party any international
differences. So long as we do not have
Napoleons on the thrones of Europe wars
between its states will be of rare occur
renee but it must not be forgotten that
it is not war, but the preparation for war
that is burdensome and %ruinous. The
first great step toward peace will be taken
when some European power say Italy
or Spain or Belgium or Sweden-shall re-
%solutely cut down its military and naval
budget to the support of a school or two
for the education of officers, utterly dis
banding its standing army, and keeping
up only an organization on paper, which
may be made actual if danger should
threaten. How grand such an act would
be for Italy How it would instantly
relieve her financial endorsements Let
Italy proclaim herself outside of European
complications. Let her declare that in
the case of a European war she will aid