The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1899-12-02

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q; Smooth Off some of the SHARP and
WOrrisOme Angles of Human Des-,
tiny Eminent Americans Of
s World Wide Fnmcaf IncIuled IN
the Number. 58i
Not one man in a thousand is aware
there is branchsof the law in which the
standard retaining fee is. $4,000. 1T is
TO the credit of America, isolated from
the other great nations by broad stretches
Of ocean, that many OF our countrymen
are numbered among the practitioners
of .interna tional law. Benjamin Ha ii
son, ex-president, and Benjamin +. Tracy.
ex-secretary Of the navy, have been I'M
usually prominent in this calling, having
served as counsel for Venezuela, before
the arbitration commission which has
Just settled the boundary contentious be-
I tween that country and Great Britain.
Twr xthers, Chief Justice Fuller and Jus,
tice Brewer, by reason of their serving on
the commission itself, may be regarded
rs highly imnortant factors in the sub
stitution of arguments and judicial deci-
sions by the nations of the earth for bull
lets and bloody victories.
ternational law as now accepted were ex-
pounded thoroughly first by Henry Whea-
ton, an American. We have the word Of
the New York Press for it that his book
on the subject was received as authority
everywhere, Immediately after pubica-.
ton, and has retained its re-eminence to
this day. No. only was it, one Of the
most important contributions to modern
law literature, but its preparation was (:
4 task OF great difficulty, for there are no
international statutes; there is no hard
and fast legislation binding on the peoples
of the earth. With regard to the conduct
OF neutral nations in times of war, the
carrying on of the worlds postal business
and some other things certain agree.
ments have been made, but these are the
nearest existing approaches TO enact
ments which are universally recognized,
and there is no provision for furnishing
the nation which disregards them. With
regard to such points as are not covered
by these agreements, international law,
as laid down by Wheaton and supplement
tary writer's, and under which lnterna-
donal lawyers practice, is based on broad
common sense as accepted by the various
nations and reduced to definite terms.
Some one has said that Internal ional law
is matter of international consent
Wheaton s. book has been translated into
every language used in Europe, also Chi
knowledge of international usages and
customs necessary to the preparation Of
such a work in the years he spent as a
diplomat in the service of his country.
The writing of the book. took up other
years, which could not have been Occu-
pied to the better advantage of the world
at barge. ~ q VII. r.st.
They say that John w. Foster, former
secretary of state, has the largest inter-
national law practice of any American.
His preparation for the profession was,
such as would hardly fit a man for it in
any land under the sun but this. Foster
was born in Evansville, Ind. His father,
Matthew Foster, was a judge. John w.
was educated at the Bloomington univer-
sity and the law department of Harvard,
and was school teacher years before the
Civil war. He was city attorney of
Evansville when the struggle between the
North and South began. He served as
major. of the Twenty-fifth Indiana till
after the battle of Fort Danelson. Then
he organized the Sixty-fifth Indiana, and
colonel. After the war he went into poll
tics, business and journalism, besides re-
Stunning his legal practice to some extent.
He was postmaster at Evansville for a
few years. His business interests were
centered for time at Cincinnati, where
he became partner in a wholesale grocery
firm. His newspaper enterprise was the
Evansville Journal. Soon after Grant be-
came president he made Foster United
States minister to Mexico.
His special training for the practice of
au.er t;o,, 10 san VIII Ils as. as.
- s .es e 80 u.ss1 L,i ~
u ti.S ~ ea i, SapieoI " iiel
oice 's 1Az'e ~ ,7, -
seysn seS III Ms s., as niiste,' tnen
nelo si,iiar poslt!on IN russia russia TOT Two
years unu mai; anu t me served IN SPAN
-, yeat a ~ , ian e iploseu eseaS
Of these lands While harrison. was nres-
-idant and blaine was secretarv ~ stats
Eos+ar was enonIovs1 ~, +ha s,o,,ern, 49,,
GO snecio1 n1aninoten +,or, - ,aa,+7o 80
rac,nrocitv frea ties WITH so,.h Anaar,oa, :,
-en,,h,,cs He d sn naant,eted nnrnnsar.
~ tnast,, lily, c,,.,s, 80, ,.ss.'aI..
siiered a good thinT nv Harrison. Rlaine
and the Republican party. but which,
President Cleveland threw down anrnmnt.
w nv withdra wing # from tha senate
thonph Foster WAS ti,e agent selected Nv
tho new adnoinistra ZION { - negotiate "a n.
othar treaty. -.Taeroras .thfa s.lu1ber 1R,aina
rasivned sacretarv ~ state Enst.. no =
heen annointed Nv. Harrison to All the
place Thourhout Blaine's term as head
of the state department and also HIS own
Fosters experience in internatinn la "
was invaluable, since, besides making
complicated negotiations with the south
americans and Spamards, ne mad TO pre-
p1re the ease Oh our sovefIlAheMt III stne
dlss'Ite Win Great briSaIn over tne seas.
when was ao1uoseo Dy the arDltra 1tlo.
uIDuhal az faIls
tn i noa ai.er Tue ~ tnu. =,
.. Oouy Hu!. ISL niau n :. w. ~, a. M
nS Moria. II ny ID Ia as. nc ~
ceiveu WITH ~! hoioIs ~ parl
due TO MS personal acquaintance Win