The times., 1901-03-28
In FAVOR OF ARBITRATION
Address of DR.. Merrill 4. Gates to
the Congregational Club.
FaVors Permanent international
Peace Congress-Justice Brewer on
The Hague Conference - Animal
Mcetin. and Election of Officers.

ncetinE and Election of Officers
! The Washington Congregational Club
held its annual meeting last night at the
! First Congregat tionaI Church. Beginning
/ at s o'clock a reception was held in the
! parlors OF the church, followed at $3.50 by
a business meeting and election of Of
/ fceTs for the ensuing year banquet,
prepared by the ladies OF the church.
was held i'm the church after the meeting.
| Post-prandial addresses We're delivered by
! Justice David J. Brewer, the outgoing
president and by Dr. Merrill f. Gates,
/ the newly elected president of the club.
/ Music during the dinner was rendered hy-
| a male choir and by female choir. under
the direction OF Prof. Bischoff. who ac-
! companied the singers upon the piano.
| Grace was said by Prof. n. +. Sawyer,
and benedction was invoked by the Rev.
5. NJ. Newman. d. j.. Humorous recita-
tions were given by Mrs. Edith WOoder-
son Lamb.
The subject discussed by the speakers at
the banquet was Arbitration; In Court,
or by Wager Of Battle?" Justice Brewer
presided al the table and introduced the
subject.
Justice Brewer was troubled with a bad
, throat and spoke briefly. He talked of
as being a step toward a final cessation
Of the settlement Of difficulties by the
sword, and called attention to the results
already gained in the establishment of
a permanent arbitration tribunal which
was open to the discussion OF disputed
questions among nations. Justice Brew
er paid a tribute to the memory of Hugo
Gratius. as the father of International
law whose principles and doctrines have
become 50 great a factor toward estab-
fishing peace ard in amelioratiug the
conditions Of war.
Throughout his address Justice Brewer
was frequently applauded. In conclusion,
he said: AT the conference at The
Hague we stood shoulder to shoulder
with Great Britain against war. 1t is
the dream of the future that war shall
cease as the arbiter of international dis
putes it is to BE desired that the United
States should take the lead in that direc-
ton It is the solemn cali to all people
/ and especially to the young men who are
! about to take the reins of government
in their hands to make this the law of
our nation and eventually of the world.
The world win follow and the time will
come which now the angels sing of,
peace on earth
Justice Brewer. with few compliment
tary remarks, introduced Dr. Gates. who
was formerly President OF Rutgers Col
lege y. j.. and more recently of Am
herst College. Mass. At each Of these
colleges. during his presidency, DR.. Gates
filed the chair OF ethics and political
science. He was one of the speakers at
the rational conference to advocate
permanent international tribunal for
arbitration. held at Washington in April,
1876. IIe said in part
The establishment of n permanent
court for international arbitra ton is
problem which has involved. from the
first the fundamental principle of inter
national law. our confidence that per-
manent tribunal between nations will
command the allegiance Of States rests
on our belief in the permanency Of princi-
pies of justice. on our faith in the grow
ing morality and conscientiousness of
States a. persons in the moral world
The modern State differs notably from the
medieval State. Custom. tradition.
precedent blindly followed, shaped the
medieval State. The modern State con-
sciously shapes it's own life according to
principle. in the light of reason. The
modern State, recognizing international
law, regards al States As jural personali-
".
&c No man is self-sufficient said Plato;
ana We say. no State is or can be self-suf-
hciont We live too late in the history of
the race 10 be insular in our conception
OF the State. There is. there must be. a
society of nations. No State can come to
its fun development save in that society
OF States, in jural relations with other
States. And no State has any natural
rights which are inconsistent with the
equal rights ef all other States.
For the most intelligent nations in the
world, the peoples with the greatest ma
tive and acquired aptitude for the politics
Of peace and the sway Of law. it ought to
Be- possible 10 find a modus vivendi which
shah maintain justice and shall not
threaten a resort to war.
Society has always made its advances
l's- appeals 10 reason. to common sense.
TO conscience, instead Of to brute force
Progress in civilization always means the
substitution of law for violence Pro-
| gress leads straight TO a permanent tri-
bunai for the peaceful and just decision
of international differences.
Nations should be able to avoid the
| chances of war as we significantly call
wars arbitrameuts and to live under the
permanent sway Of justice expressed i'm
and reasona ble--in decisions by perma-
neut tribunals deferred TO because they
are nationally constituted are provided
for in advance Of the differences to be
adjudicated by them-in short because
they are permanent, as righteousness is
permanent We believe that such tribun-
ais can be established between States. as
they have been between individuals In the
same State. We believe that they will
be respected and deferred TO when es-
tablished. not from fear OF physical force
TO be held over mems heads, from behind
the Judges bench. but because they will
utter thc law whose seat is the bosom OF
God, her voice the harmony Of the world.
Some means are 80 obviously adapted
to evil results that We know them as
accurSed when We see them No proposed
good can justify the choice Of means 50
bad Such is war, as voluntarily chosen
means for securing justice.
But there are other means anf meas
ures which are so obviously fitted for the
attainment OF good ends that they seem
TO have in their very genius something Of
the good which is sought as an end
through their use. so directly and in
evitably do they tend to its attainment
Their use is in itself an education to man
and races. Is not "A permanent interna-
tioUal tribunal for our English-speaking
nations. at least, such a measure?
While We have the AnglO-SaXOn avpr-
sion 10 coming under the sway of ex-
trcme theories, let us not fear right and
wise measure simply because IL approves
itself 70 the philosopher as reasonable
and DhilOSOBhically sound. and 10 Tho
poet as beautiful and fun Of promise
The truth is that political science is the
practical science OF righteousness in So
Ciety. Politics is applied morality High
politics are the crown Of social morality
.s.fa .a.N