The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-03-29

tainly would be invested with powers
cOrrespondingly great.
Suppose that the leading nations, or
only four or five of them. should Gre
ate such a court, and that one OF them
should put itself in contempt. Suppose
that the United States should annex
the little republic OF San Domingo by
force and against its viii. Suppose
that San Domingo should bring its
action at law against the United States
and recover judgment. Suppose-and
this is the most violent supposition OF
I aIl-that the United States. intent on
. suicide. should not heed the order Of
the court Suppose that the court
should issue requisitions on the Gar
Of Russia for 1000. 900 men as fast as
. they could be enlisted. armed and
equipped; on the Emperor Of Germany
. for as many more; on the President
Of the French Republic for a like num-
Der; on Queen Victoria for 200 battle
. ships. Suppose that the court should
. then appoint as fits high sheriff the
. most distinguished soldier in Europe
and should place in his hands writ
Of restitution. Could the United States
prevent the service OF the writ? Is
there a nation on earth that would
dream Of resistance under such cir
I cumstances2
IF the United States. Great Britain
and one or two other of the leading
continental powers should unite to es-
{ tablish an international court on the
. lines above suggested the other civil
. lied nations would be. morality speak
| ing. compelled TO join them. Wars be-
| tween parties 10 the treaty would be
l next TO impossible. and wars between
other nations would become so need
| less that they would sink in general
/ estimation 20 the plane OF wholesale
murder. and for that reason, if for no
| other. would be next 10 impossible.
/ If international wars were interdict-
\ cd like private wars. and Outrages up
/ on nations were depressed like out
| RACES upon individuals there would
/ be no occasion for international con-
! crosses or courts TO consider the ques-
| ton Of standing armies. It would set
/ tie itself. The pecuniary burden of
maintaining millions of men who could
neither be used for ACKNOWLEDGMENT
/ nor needed for defense would be suf-
| fcient inducement 70 disband them.
Europe would still require several
| hundred thousand soldiers as national
/ and international police, and the re-
| manning millions could be disbanded
/ so gradually as to make increase in
! the supply of labor less than the in
creased demand incident to rapidly in
creasing prosperity. If military and
naval expenditures were reduced to
| $3.50 900 900 a year the crushing bur-
| den of taxation would be materially
| lightened. and if 100000 men were
ultimately returned TO the productive
industries of peace it would be light
ened still more. hitherto unknown
feeling Of security and confidence
would enable the nations TO fund their
debts at lower rates of interest. and TO
gradually pay them off. and would
also lead TO larger investments of cap
ital and 70 more universal and more
remunerative employment of labor.
Trial by wager OF battle was intro
dUced into England by the Norman
conquest. and was maintained for
centuries with great pomp and cere
rnOny. 1t was in the nature of an ap-
peal i'm civil. criminal and military
causes. and in civil causes was the
last and most solemn resort to try
title TO real estate. Before the judges,
clothed in their scarlet robes. each
combatant swore that his cause was
Just and that he used no sorcery or en-
chantment. The battle lasted until the
stars appeared in the evening or until
one of the parties was killed or pro
nOunced the horrible word craven by
which he became infamous" As late
as 1918. i'm the case of Ashford VS..
Thornton CBarnewelI & Alderson's Re
ports. vol. T.. p. 405). the English Court
Of Kings Bench solmenly held that
the defendant was entitled "to this his
lawful mode of trial. the chief justice.
Lord Ellenborough. saying: 1.-THE gen
eral law of the land is in favor of the
of haffIa ND ic 1tttN to
pronounce the law as il is and not as
we may wish il TO be. Whatever preju-
dice. therefore. may exist against this
mode of trial. as il is the law of the
| land. the court must pronounce judg
ment for it."
We can hardly realize that this alb
/ surd method of trying title to a farm
| was recognized by English law from
/ the Norman conquest to the birth of
| Queen Victoria; vet if France and Ger
many were to try title to Alsace and
/ Lorraine tomorrow they would repeat
| il at the cost of hundreds of thousands
! Of lives and thousands of millions of
! dollars. Each nation would solemnly
/ appeal to God and put its trust in
| smOkeIess powder.
| I am no Quaker There have been
and again may be times when the only
1 Of war when the shedding of mans
| blood will be the first duty of man. but
! il does seem TO me that the irrepres-
| sible conflicts of the future are likely
/ to he social rather than international
! and that the world is becoming too
| cosmopolitan. and its selfishness too
/ enlightened for civilized nations TO
much longer continue TO dwarf them
! selves and squander their resources as
/ they are now doing.
| In the past the great prizes of life
! have come from the bloody victories
| of man over man; in the future they
| will come from the bloodless victories
/ of man over nature. Ages of military
\ glory must give place TO ages of dis
| covery and invention. We call Edison
a prodigy: he is merely a pioneer.
| F. p. DOLE.
/ Oy hA nf On 1909