Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-02-19
International Arbitration.
BY SAMUEL II. SPEAR, ID. d.

Two CONVENTIONS have recently bees
held in Europe-the one at Client and the
other at Brussels--composed of eminent
jurists and publicists, for the most part
European, tor the purpose of reforming
the law of nations and placing its recog.
niZed principles upon a more solid basis
of public authority. The convention al
Brussels organized itself into permanent
association, under the title of "The Asso-
citation for the Reform and the Codification
of the Law of Nations"
The chief objects proposed by this or
ganiZation are TO improve and codify pub
| lie and private international law, TO unity
| this law in the practice and procedure of
| nations, and especially to provide for the
peaceful settlement Of international dis
putes, by substituting the principle Of ar
bitration for the sword. In reference to
the last of these objects the Brussels con-
ference adopted the following resolution
1.-The conference declares that Ii regards arbtra-
ton ar means essentially just, reasonable, and
even obligatory for terminating differences be-
tween nations when negotiations have not sue
ceeded. IL abstains from affirming that, In all
cases, without exception, this meansis practicable;
but II believes that the exceptions are not numer-
GUS and IL Ii firmly convinced that no difference
must be considered rs insoube, unless the litiga-
ton has been defined precisely, a suitable delay
been accorded. and all pacific means Of arrange
ment been exhausted"
This IS cautious and well-worded
resolution, and were its letter and spirit
complied with by nations, when involved
in controversy, with each other, they
would never resort to the arbirament OF
the sword. individuals, when disagree
| ing as to their respective rights and obi.
| cations, will never come to blows, and
but seldom to lawsuit, provided they
| will, before trying either expedient, ex-
| haust all the "pacific means" of an AMIGA
bic arrangement" Both the temper and
| the process are quite sure TO issue in a
peaceful settlement of their difficulty.
| Nations, though composed Of many per-
| sons, are, in their relations TO each other,
simply plural units, speaking and acting
| through their constituted governments
and the same general principle of moral.
| ity, peace, and justice which binds indi-
| viduals in their intercourse with each
| other are equally applicable to nations
| in similar relations. There is no reason
| why the latter should quarrel, and especi-
| ally why they should resort 10 the violence
of war, that would not equally justify the
| same things i'm the former on smaller
| and less destructive scale.
War, however, has been SO long and so
much the practice Of nations that the
problem of absolute prevention is one of
| the most difficult that can be conceived.
| The first thing to be gained is TO bring
| nations to a common understanding az to
those general principles of equity and
| good neighborhood by which they will
mutually conrent to be governed In their
relations to each other. International
| l.. - Ia
{. matter of usage, that has changed from
time tn time, and generally for the better,
without being incorporated into code,
while resting upon no other sanction
than that Of an indefinite and often vary
ing and uncertain public sentiment. II
| is found in treaties formed between ma
lions, in the works of jurisis expressly
written to state and explain its recognized
principles, and in the decisions OF nation.
al courts; yet there exists at present no
where on the face Of the earth an interna-
| tional code TO which the nations have
given their consent and which they have
| mutually pledged themselves to observe
| We understand ii TO be one of the OBJ
| jects Of the Association" recently or
| ganized al Brussels 10 prepare such a
| code, to incorporate therein whatever is
IiRut dnu PIopcT III Inc pIenchs usaBro ~
peace among nations, TO make such addi-
tons thereto as expediency and justice
require, and then to secure its national
adoption. The adoption would be virtu-
ally a treaty between all the parties
agreeing to the code.
The next thing TO the prevention Of ma
| tional controversies is their settlement so
as TO avoid war when they exist. Ma
tons, like individuals, may by misappre-
hension or by fault be involved In c:M-
Guilty with each other; and when they