Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-12-14
A COURT OF NATIONS.
A HIGH COURT OF LAST RESORT TO
 DETERMINE DISPUTES.

How International Differences Might Be
 Adjusted if tho Rulers Did Not Prefer
 Grim and Destructive War to Peace.
 Arbitration In Big Affairs.
 There is a great deal of carelessness in certain popular demands for referring questions between nations to arbitration. We all know what arbitration is in busi- Eess. It is very convenient way of ad- justing certain questions which arise be- tween two friends, each of whom wants to do what is right, but who take differ ent points Of view of the same subject. Each of them ''choosls Il man" as the old New England phrase has it. These two ''men" choose Q third man. All parties meet together and talk over the matter, and the court thus made decides.
 But for practical purposes we do not compel every person who has question arising with another person to create a court which is to try that question. If policeman catches a pickpocket in the street. he does not appoint one person to try the pickpocket and ask the pickpocket to appoint another, while these two shall appoint g. third. If Mir. Cheeryble in London is not satisfied with the account
 
 sends him, if Mir Goodchild cannot make MT. Cheeryble understand that account, they do not appoint g court which shall determine how much is due and how much is not due. There is 0 court ex- isting to which that question can be re- ferred and there are processes perfectly understood by which that court can de eide it.
 This is fair enough illustration of the necessity which now exists that the great nations of the world shall have a perma- nent tribunal, before which shall be brought the important questions which must arise in the affairs of nations with each other. It is to be permanent tri- bunal. There is not to be one tribunal about seals and another tribunal about boundaries and another about extradi- ton. There is to be tribunal which shall gradually gain the confidence of the whole world, and which shall decide these questions which have been left hithcrto 10 :! vaSuepUblic opinion and to what is called the arbitration of war. Clearly We are approaching nearer and nearer the creation of such tribunal.
 The greatest success was achieved when in 17S9 l3 different nations, here on the coast of the Atlantic, united to gether and established the supreme court of tho United States. The thing has worked So perfectly and simply ever since that we have many readers to whom 1T has never occurred that there were might have E'2rn wars between Massachusetts and Sew York, or war between Missouri and Iowa, as bitter and severe as half the wars of the middle ages in Europe were. There might have been such wars if it had not been that the supreme court cf tho United States has determined at least hundred Ques- tions arising between different proud and | independent states and has so deter mined them that each of the states has acQuicsced in the decision. Nay, 1t has so determined them that half the citizens | of these states did not know that any such questions existed. Between my own state of Massachusetts and the state of Rhode Island there WAS a question about boundaries some 40 or 5O years ago which was moro important than many of the questions which have thrown European states into war with each other. The su- premc court of the United States deter mined the question, and do not believe that half the people now living in Mas sachusetts who were living then ever knew that there was any such question at issue.
 The six great powers of the world are the powers who should agree on such Q high court of judicature, to exist as 8 permanent tribunal. It would be easy to arrange some system by which it's judges should be appointed. Perhaps a good system would be such as is indi- cated in the custom which has been | spoken of above. Each of the six nations might name one of these judges. and the six judges might nominate six other judges. to be approved by a majority of the high powers forming the court. | At first the new court would have nothing to do. Everybody would be shy of it, but it would exist It would con- sist of men of the very highest rank who had distinguished themselves before the world by their equity and wisdom. At first the court would meet simply | for its own organization and to await the reference to it of questions arising between great nations. In this period of leisure these jurists might well be en- | gagged in digesting the international law ! of the world as 1t exists now and pub fishing from time to time their digest. They might determine certain principles on which they would rely in the tudg. ments which should eventually De brought before them. Before long, how ever, some real question would be sub mitted to them. There would arise 6 question whether the Ban Carlos rivet was dirty brook running from the northwest to the southeast. or another dirty brook running from the southwest to the northeast. As things stand now
 two armies have to be called out to fight about the proper definition of some old treaty, and thousand good fellows have to be killed before we can determine which of two dirty brooks is the Sar
 Carlos.-Edward Everett Hale in New
 York Recorder.