The Elbert County tribune., 1904-12-08

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our navy. II is not merely unwise. IL Is
contemplate. for nation. as for an in
dividual to use heh-sounding language
to proclaim its purposes. or to take po-
sitions which are ridiculous II unsupport-
cd by potential force. and then to refuse
to provide this force. II there Is no in
tention OF providing and OF keeping the
force necessary to back up n strong atti-
tude. then :. is far better not to assume
such an attitude.
The steady aim OF this nation. as OF all
enlightened nations. should be to strive
to bring ever nearer the day when there
shall prevail throughout the world the
peace of justice. There are kinds OF
peace which are highly undesirable,
which are In the long run as destructive
as any war. Tyrants and oppressors have
many times made wilderness and called
1t peace. The peace OF tyrannous terror.
the peace OF craven weakness. the peace
OF Injustice. all these should be Stunned
as we shun unrighteous war. The goal
to set before us nation. the goal
which should be set before all mankind.
is the attainment OF the peace of JUS
tice. of the peace which comes when
each nation is not merely safe-guRrded
in its own rights. but scrupulousiy rec
ognzes and performs its duty toward
others.
There is as yet no judicial way OF en-
forcing right in International law.
When nation wrongs another or
wrongs many others there il no tribu-
nal before which the wrongdoer can be
/ brought. Either II is necessary supinely
to acquiesce In the wrong. and thus put
a premium upon brutality and nggres-
sion. or else 1t is necessary for the ag-
grieved nation vaiantly to stand up for
Its rights. Until some method Is devised
by which there shall be degree OF In
ternational control over offending
tions. It would be wicked thing for
the most civilized powers. for those with
most sense OF international obligations
and with keenest and most generous np-
preciati Of the difference between right
and wrong. to disarm, If the great civ
| ilized nations of the present day should
completely disarm. the result would mean
an immediate recrudescence of barbar-
| ism in one form or another.
Arbitration Treaties.
| We are In every way endenvorinE to
| help on. with cordial good will, every
movement which viii tend to bring us
into more friendly relations with the rest
| OF mankind. In pursuance Of this policy
{ shall shortly lay before the Senate
| treaties of arbitration with all powers
which are willing to enter into these
treaties with U.S. Furthermore. nt the
request Of the Interparliamentary Union
| an eminent body composed of practical
statesmen from all countries. have
| asked the Powers TO join with this gov
| ernment i'm n second Hague conference
Mt which II Is hoped that tho work al
ready happily begun at Tho Hague
may be carried some steps further to-
ward completion. This carries out the
desire expressed by the first Hague con-
| ference Itself.
Policy on Western Hemisphere.
| II Is not true that the United States
feels any land hunger or cntertains any
projects as regards the other nations of
| the western hemisphere save such are
| for their welfare. All that this coun-
try desires Is TO see the ncighboring
| countries stable, orderly, and prosperous.
| Any country whose people conduct them
| selves well can count upon hearty
friendship. II a nation shows that 1t
| knows how TO act with reasonable efn-
cheney and decency in social and political
| matters. II II Keeps order and pays Its
| obligations. II need fear no Interference
| from the United States. Chronic wrong
| doing. or an impotence which results in
| general loosenipg of the ties OF civil
lied society. may In America. as else
! where. ultimately require Intervention by
some civilized nation. and In the western
| hemisphere the adhcrents OF the United
| States to the Monroe doctrine may force
the United States. however reluctantly,
| in fragrant cases OF such wrongdoing or
| impotence, to the exercise OF an inter-
| national police power.
Our interests and those of our south
ern neighbors are In reality Identical.
| They have great natural riches. and II
within their borders the reign OF law and
justice obtains. prosperity is sure to come
| to them. While they thus obey the pri-
| mary laws OF civilized society they may
rest assured that they will be treated by
us In spirit of cordial and helpful sym
pathy. We would interfere with them
only in the last resort. and then only
| II 1t became evident that their inabh.1y
or unwillingness to do Justice at home
and abroad had violated the rights of
! the United States or had invited foreign
aggression TO the detriment of the en-
tire body of American nations
In asserting the Monroe doctrine, in
taking such steps as we have taken in
regard to Cuba. Venezuela. and Panama.
/ and in endeavoring to circumscribe the
theater of war in the far East. and to
| secure the open door in China. we have
acted In our own interest as we'll as in
the interest of humanity at large. There
| are. however cases in which. while our
own interests are not greatly involved
strong appeal is made to our sympathies
| There are occasional crimes committed
| on 80 vast n scale and OF such peculiar
| horror as to make us doubt whether 1t is
not our manifest duty to endeavor at
| least to show disapproyal of the deed
| and our sympathy with those who have
| suffered by IT, The cases must be ex-
| treme in which such course is justi-
| fable. But in extreme cases action may
be justihable and proper What form
| the action shall take must depend upon
| the circumstances OF the case; that is
| upon the degree of the atrocity and upon
our power to remedy 1t. The cases in
| which we could interfere by force of
arms as we interfered to put a stop to
| intolerable conditions In Cuba are neces-
| sarily very few. Yet 1t is not to be ex-
pected that people like ours, which in
| spite of certain very obvious shortcom-
| ings, nevertheless as n whole shows by
| Its consistent practice Its belief in the
principles OF civil and religious liberty
and OF orderly freedom. a people among
| whom even the worst crime. like the
| crime of lynching. is never more than
| sporadic. so that individuals and not
classes are molested in their fundamental
| rights-it Is inevitable that such a ma
| tioh Should desire eagerly to give ex-