River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-09-01

shall be spared to secure a continuance
Of these relations. And, remember,
| gentlemen, that we shall be a potent fac
tor for peace largely in proportion to the
way in which we make it evident that
! our attitude is due, not to weakness, not
to inability to defend ourselves, but to
| a genuine repugnance to wrongdoing, a
| genuine desire for self-respecting friend
ship with our neighbors. The voice Of
| the weakling or the craven counts for
nothing when he clamors for peace; but
/ the voice Of the just man armed is po-
tent. We need to keep in a condition of
| preparedness, especially as regards our
navy, not because we want war, but
| because we desire to stand with those
whose JEea for peace is listened to with
respectful attention"
The Hague Tribunal.
From Message of Dec. 2, 1902.1
"As civilization grows, warfare be-
comes less and less the normal condition
of foreign relations. The last century
has seen a marked diminution of wars
| between civilized powers; wars with I'M
civilized powers are largely mere mat
ters of international police duty, essen
tial for the welfare Of the world. Where
lar method should be employed in lieu
Of war to settle difficulties between civ
ilized nations, although as yet the world
has not progressed sufficiently to rem
der it possible, or necessarily desirable,
to invoke arbitration in every case. The
formation of the international tribunal
which sits at The Hague is an event Of
good omen from which great consequence
for the welfare Of all mankind may
flow. 1t is far better, where possible,
to invoke such a permanent tribunal
than to create special arbitrator for
given purpose.
at is matter of sincere congratula-
ton to our country that the United
States and Mexico should have been the
first to use the good offices Of The
Hague Court. This was done last sum-
mer with most satisfactory results in
the case of a claim at issue between us
and our sister Republic. 1t is earnestly
to be hoped that this first case will serve
as a precedent for others, in which not
only the United States but foreign ma
| tons may take advantage of the machin-
cry already in existence at The Hague"
A Good Navy Not Provocative of War.
From Message of Dec. 2, 1902.
"a good navy is not provocatiOn of
war. It is a sure guaranty of peace.
The refusal to maintain such
efficient navy would invite trouble,
| and if trouble came, would insure disas-
| ter Fatuous self-complacency, or van
ity, or short sightedness in refusing to
prepare for danger is both foolish and
wicked in such nation as ours, and
past experience has shown that such
faulty in refusing to recognize or pre-
pare for any crisis in advance is usu-
ally succeeded by a mad panic of hys-
terical fear once the crisis has actually
| arrived"
Triumph for International Arbitration
From Message of Dec. z, 1903
"This triumph of the principle of in
ternational arbitration reference of the
Venezuelan claims to The Hague Trib-
unaD is subject of warm congratula-
ton and offers a happy augury for the
peace of the world
"There seems good ground for the
belief that there has been a real growth
| among the civilized nations of a senti-
| ment which will permit a gradual sub
stitution Of other methods than the meth
DDS of war in the settlement of disputes
It is not pretended that as yet we are
near a position in which it will be pos
sible wholly to prevent war; or that a
just regard for natural interest or honor
will in all cases permit Of the settle
ment of international disputes by arbi-
tration, but by a mixture of prudence
and frmness with wisdom we think it is
possible to do away with much of the
provocation and excuse for war and
at least in many cases to substitute
some other and more rational method for
the settlement of disputes. The Hague
Court offers so good an example of
what can be done in the direction of
such settlements that it should be en-
couraged in every way"