Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-12-06

unmanly fashion from doing duty that
was stern and that needed self sacri-
flee and have sought to hide from their
own rainds their shortcomings. their
ignoblc motives, by calling them love
Of peace. The peace of tyrannous ter
ror. the peace OF craven weakness, the
peace OF injusticeAill these should be
Stunned as we shun unrighteous war.
The goal set before US as a nation, the
goal which should be set before all
mankind. is the attainment Of the
peace OF justice. Of the peace which
comes when each nation is not merely
safeguaried in its own rights, but
scrupu.ously recognizes and performs
its duty toward others. Generally
peace tells for righteousness. but il
there is conflict between the two then
our fealty Is due first TO the cause OF
righteousness. Unrighteous wars are
common. and unrighteous peace Is
rare. but both should be Stunned. The
right OF freedom and the responsibility
for the exercise OF that right cannot be
divorced One OF our great poets has
well and finely said that freedom Is not
q gift that tarries long in the hands OF
towards. Neither does it tarry long In
the hands OF those too slothful. too dis
honest or too uninteIligent to exercise
IL The eternal vigilance which is the
price of liberty must be exercised
sometimes TO guard against outside
foes. although. of course far more often
to guard against our own selfish or
thoughtless shortcomings.
II these self evident truths are kept
before US. and only If they are so kept
before US. we shall have a clear Idea OF
what our foreign policy In its larger
aspects should be. 1t Is our duty to
remember that a nation has no more
right TO do Injustice to another nation,
strong or weak. than an individual has
to do injustice to another individual;
that the same moral law applies in one
case as in the other. But we must
also remember that it is as much the
duty OF the nation to guard its own
rights and Its own interests as it is the
duty OF the individual SO to do. With
in the nation the Individual has now
delegated this right to the state-that
is, to the representative of all the in
dividuals-and il is n maxim of the law
that for every wrong there is a remedy.
But in international law we have not
advanced by any means as far as we
have advanced in municipal law. There
is as yet no judicial way OF enforcing
u right in international law When
orc nation wrongs another or wrongs
many others, there il no tribunal be-
fore which the wrongdoer can he
brought. Either 1t is necessary supine-
ly to acquiesce in the wrong and thus
put n premium upon brutality and aG
gression or else il is necessary for the
aggrieved nation valiantly TO stand up
for its rights. Until some method IL
devised by which there shall be de-
gree OF international control over Of
nations IL would be wicked
thing for the most civilized powers. for
those with most sense of international
and with keenest and most
generous appreciation OF the difference
between right and wrong. to disarm.
II the great civilized nations of the |
present day should completely disarin. |
the result would mean an immediate |
Of barbarism in one form |
or another. Under any circumstances |
a sufficient armament would have to be |
kept up to serve the purposes OF inter |
police. and until international |
and the sense OF international |
duties and rights are far more adj
vanced than at present n nation desir |
Gus both OF securing respect for itself |
and Of doing good to others must have |
n force adequate for the work which It |
feels Is allotted to II as its part of the |
general world duty. Therefore It fol-
lows that n self respecting, Just and |
farseeing nation should on the one |
hand endeavar by every means to aid |
In the development Of the various |
which tend to provide sub
stitutes for war, which tend to render
nations in their actions toward one an
other. and indeed toward their own
peoples. more responsive to the gener
al sentiment of humane and civilized
and on the other hand it
should keep prepared, while scrupu-
lousy avoiding wrongdoing itself, to
repel any wrong and i'm exceptional
cases to take action which in a more
advanced stage of international rela-
lions would come under the head of the
exercise of the international police. A
great free people owes il To itself and
10 all mankind not to sink into help
essness before the powers of evil.
Arbitration Treaties.
We are in every way endeavoring to
help on. with cordial good will. every
movement which will tend to bring US
nto more friendly relations with the
est of mankind. In pursuance of this
policy l shall shortly lay before the
senate treaties of arbitration with all
powers which are willing to enter into
hese treaties with us. 1t Is not pos
'ible at this period of the WORKS de-
Telopment to agree to arbitrate all mat
ers. but there are many matters or
possible difference between us and 9th
II nations which can be thus arbitrat-
d. Furthermore. at the request Of the
union. an eminent
,ody composed of practical statesmen
rom all countries. l have asked the
lowers to Join with this government
n a second Hague conference, at which
{ Is hoped that the work already SO