The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-02-18

.UnlVeTSal peace has been thu dream of the
nations, the aspiration of rulers. the
prayer OF parliaments adown the centuries,
but as ltthe ideal were akin to a mirage
on the desert. the desire has but existed to
be deceived and baked. In all the CEN
tuTles we Wot OF byhistorical narrative or
! tradition nottwenty-fve years have passed,
not even ten. without All outbreak Of
/: hostilites between nations or tribes. be-
: tween races or families of races. hereditary
.. foes, somewhere on the globe. Ages have
passed with the paeoHthic and peolitic
: man and the. high civilization of TODAY.
=. In the dim past. when. as the biologists
tell US, man was but hunting animal with
q little leisure to display dawnlngs of taste
=. in carving ON bones off which he had
= devoured the flesh, there were. no doubt.
=. wars waged in the struggle of existence
:. for food, for mastery, for possession of
. hunting grounds and fertile lands. To-
day, when mans supremacy Is exalted and
IN one sense he responds to Shakespeare
startling generaliZa ton, How like god. ="
we have hut carried fighting and the prep
- .aratOh for. war into scientific refine
! ment.0f deadliness and horror. We have
:. advanced in The methods of making war
3 terrible and burdensome to every in.
dl YlduaI, and at he same time have incul-
Gated and encouraged the de velopment Of
lofty moral sense which reprob bates strife
and Eiolence as unworthy of mans dignity
. and destiny.
War is blamed on all hands, yet we are
all preparation it, and the nation which
Shows itself shrink king and timid in the
: espOuSal OF q Just cause is regarded with
contempt, and is very likely rent in pieces,
as Poland was although the Poles were
= not Dusil laniuous and Tecreant patriots.
The neral ban upon war is so marked
that it is almost regarded as blasphemy 10
appeal as has been the fragrant practice,
10 the god of battles to succOr armies
about to clash in deadly gTaEpIe. Yet the
lighting ranks are more numerous and
armies more costly TO sustain to-day than
ever they were in the history of mankind,
and the bigger the army the louder is the
cry that it is all for peace; that peace is
impossible without the soldier keeping
guard over the husbandmen, and the sem
tinel pacing his rounds on the frontier. Is
Ii always to be thus?
Some suggestions of an eIevating but
doubtfullY practical nature, turning the
mental vision toward the dawn of tho bet
ter day, fer the people who love peace have
recently been put forth by the Arbitration
and Peace Association from the pen of Sir
Edmund Hornby. The writer advocates
the creation of permanent intern atonal
tribunal of arbitration which would have
jurisdiction. for determination and judg-
ment over all disputes between the powers
of whatever character that they were I'M
able to settle themselves. Sir Edmund
does more than launch the broad c0ncep-
ton of such a tribunal He forms a
definite plan of how it may be constituted
and set at work and how its DEGREES may
be enforced, with resort in the ultimate to
war. if need be, in order to compel com.
pliance with its findings. Could such a
tribunal be established international dis
armament would be a cOrolary. But can
it? Let US see what is proposed.
The powers, by which are meant those
which are weak as well as those W hich
are strong, are TO act in unison in select
ing thirteen Senators TO form this august
. modern Areonagus. There is no magic in
the number -, and members of the Thir-
teen Club would declare that it is the
right number 10 insure the banishme at
and not the Onbringing of misfortune; hu t
fifteen or twenty-one would be equally
suitable, and perhaps five would afford q
prospect of swtfter dispatch of business
and more harmony. These nation-ap-
pointed Senators of the arch tribunal are
not necessarily to be jurists, but may be
statesmen or diplomatists. They are to
chosen for ten years and from the moment
OF appointment are to be neutrals each
absolved from allegiance to the country to
which he belongs, and only owing fealty
10 the higher law of conscience, duty JUS
tlce. humanity. Tbs individual is to des-
sociate himself from the prejudices
and predictions of his life, and become d
NAtILCU VI tue hOIIU, Will french as his
official tongue and an inclination to be
preternaturally impartial. To enable i'm
to attain TO the dignity of his high call
ing. the Senator IS TO enjoy a salary and
retiring pension sufficiently great to place
him above sordid cares, anxieties and
temptations, and, above all, the arts of
influence and honor which governments
employ TO secure the fidelity Of those who
serve them. He is TO be Irecluded during
life from holding any position of any Off
clal character in any state, or from accept
ing any honor or reward. His social rank
Is to elevate him over the head of every
body but sOVereigns and president rulers,
and he, is. Tohibited from holding any
personal communication with the SOW
erefgn ruler or government or even with
the press, of any country. The Chief Sec
:: Rotary is TO hold equal rank with the
principal Ministers OF all countries. In
order that the very ground on which the
tribunal meets shaH be outside the juris-
diction of any country tits suggested that
the deliberations be carried on in some
part of Switzerland which shall be de-
clared -extraterritoTial ana neutral and
under it's Jurisdiction. Perhaps little An
DORA In the Pyrenees: would suit as we'll
The cost .of the: tribunal is calculated
= at. a. modesteum. Sir Edmund estimates
that all the expenses would be provided
for IL six frst-ciass powers subscribed a
=: capital sun Of .S500,0Qo. and an annual
: =: subscription of, 100000; eight second
class powers, $3.50. 600 capital and $50 coo
annually. ana tenn hird-cass powers, $685.
900 capital and $50, 600 annually. Such an
income would net make Senators rich. but
they should. at least be independe
= Would not this turn upon the economic ten
denotes of their wives and famiies?
-. Having received its mandate from the
consentiHg nations, the tribunal would de-
wise code of procedure, elect president
and chief secretary and other officials. aud
then take cognizanee OF cases. II. would
not be Vehmgercht in the Middle Age
sense of secrecy and vengeance, but simply
court seized of jurisdiction over any dis
pute which has failed of adjustment
by diplomacy, and which was brought
I to its knowledge by one or both OF the
parties. Tie tribunal would then issue a
notification tt the powers affected to sus-
pend all action on their own account. 1t
would have the right to examine all docn-
meDts necessary and TO hear evidence or
otherwise gain information, and III mead be
itmight arrange modus vivendi pending
T. final settlement the ultimate Judgment,