The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-10-07

| tute for war which human intelli~enca has yet suggested. We are ali. agreed that wars must cease. How to stop them ana put the substitute in motion | fs the great question. Early in life l learned to love and revere Stephen De- catur, perhaps the first American who helped to make international law. when he crossed the ocean he found Ito his amaxement that the European idea of international law recognized piracy--that some. even the great na- lions, paid large annual tributes to the pirates Of the Barbary States. To such q condition Decatur promptly dissented and vigorously injected an American Idea Into the law of nations. He broke up piracy and made peace on the Med- iterranean sea. He did not do 1t by speech-making nor diplomacy. nor yet | by arbitration. He did 1t with a navy, which we for many years allowed to go out Of use. All honor to the stout old sailor! May his memory live for ever in American hearts!
 Our navy is being rebuilt, and am glad of 1t. There Is more danger on the Pacific Ocean with absolute disar- mament than ever there was on the Mediterranean sea. do not mean
 from the nations through organized
 war, for under the influence of this
 Conference I am beginning to accept as a reality what for years has been a
 dream-that human effort and intelli-
 xence can and will Invent some pre-
 yentive and make an end to wars be-
 tween nations. But the stopping of
 war will not stop murder. nor alto
 eether reform humanity. An unpro-
 tected merchant marine sufficient to
 carry the commerce of the Pacific Is
 too tempting for the cupidity of man
 to resist in this or any other age.
 Mans inhumanity to man" is not a
 mere echo from the past; 1t stalks
 abroad in the present in the boycott.
 the strikes and the lockout. and
 threatens and overshadows the future
 with the awful cloud of anarchy and
 assassination.
 One real, substantial obstacle to in-
 ternational arbitration is lack of con-
 hdence in international law, made up and interpreted as 1t has been in the near past. 1 am not surprised at 1t. International law recognizes war as Q legal and legitimate remedy, and un- der its sanction nations Indulge from. time to time in naval demonstrations to collect debts and damages. What the people want is legislative power given to, the representatives of all na- tions. authorizing them to create and enact laws for the nations, and to cre- ate and establish courts to interpret and proper power to execute them. In short, courts alone have not the power to enforce their own judgments. Nor does 1t seem wise they should have. Nothing short of creative force. legislation, can do this.
 have an abiding faith in the capac- ity of present civilization. especially our own. When we look from the windows of this beautiful hotel upon the lovely scene without. an object les son in civilization, and we see what one America nhas done with bald top in a few years. what can- not eighty million Americans do if they tryY Who will try to put a limit on human effort in the twentieth cen- tury? Some years ago the English people were railroad building in Stam or Burmah. Several large bridges were to be constructed, and the lowest bid of the English engineers was three million dollars and two years time" An American stepped up and demanded his opportunity, and said, T will guar antee to do the work In six months for half the money" They sneered at him and called 1t American impudence. but his offer. requiring double gilt edged security. In six months the bridges were built and cars were rum ming over them and they were admit- ted to be the best bridges In India.
 Now what does this Conference pro- poser Is 1t not the building of q bridge. not one, of "sighs," but of size, spanning the oceans and betting the connecting all the people B bridge of Peace. The nations are ready for 1t. The hour has come. Pro- posals are in order, bids. are coming In and some will soon be opened. Let the United States take 1t up. fix her own price and date. Let us all join hands and the bridges will be built, and peace will reign on the earth forever