New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-04
HAGUE COURTS POWEPS
Discussion of the Questions Raised
By Dir. Carnegie.
70 the Editor 81 20 Tribune.

Sir: Your editorial reply to Mr. Caruag,..
letter. both published in yesterdays issrs 1.
your paper, raises several questions ~ -
mense importance about which the averae. /.
teIligent man is i'll informed
AS one who has attended four fnterna.,..,
peace congresses and many Mohonk arb,,--
ton conferences. and speaks for many studsrr.
OF international questions. permit me IN ~,
sent the following considerations:
First-As Justice Brewer. Of the suDra-.
Court said at Mohonk. and as all peace 49,.
gandists agree. "the Hague court will -.
need an army behind It to enforce its decisiors
History fails to record a single instance onf !.
two hundred and fifty settlements Of iDter,.-
tional difficulties by courts or commissions :,
any nation that refused TO abide by the dec,s,,-
OK the tribunal If anything more than a sens.
OF honor IS ever needed. the power OF cor,rrl-
sion will be ostraeism or the boycott. Cbf,.,.
merchants. unaided by their governments ra,..s
ly showed US what pressure a fraction Of a -.
people. without navy. can bring aealns,
s'rong one Our government az once ordered
less drastic and unreasonable enforcement OF sr.
cIusion laws against the upper class OF Chinese
Were strong nation like our own. throu1s
its government. to withdraw diplomats go
put on an embargo. especially should two ~
three governments combine to do this. no matte,
would hold out against them three week, =
refusing either to take legal measures 10 satsl,
It's quarrels or TO abide by the decision ~ ~.
court The mere threat Of ostracism would a.
most cases be sufficient. a naval battle doe.
NOT directly affect men, women and chidrs a.
once but rise in the price OF commodities a.
disarrangement Of business would be ingtsr,p,
felt. The power of the boycott or ostracisr, >,
one 70 be reckOned with in the future and H.
lar more eIIeCtlVe than machine guns and dv7a
mite, and means no loss of life or a subse0IIsTs
generation OF bitterness. A country that feed,
EUROPE ninety days a year needs no great nav,
70 protect her from European aggression ~
DargoeS would be complex and COSTLY but vastI,,
Tess SO than war or that supposed remedy IA,
Wal-a great navy that must be rebuft sv,s--,
Ten years A boycott could end with caTi.
5ia pa.Sll II tahes many months TO evacuata
EiSarm and readjuSt after hOstfIities
second-Current discussion ignores neutraIiza
1ion ol weak peoples which would enormously
SInPIlfy international problems Were ne
Phihpplnes neutTalized by agreement - 49,
powers that will meet at The Hague II, Y,, ne
we could reduce our navy one-haIf as one ~
our naval officers admits We coDI5 +bav 80 -
oraoIy leave this costly encumbrance Thus In
suIlng the natives from aggression BY anv ana
ana leaving them we'll fitted for f-gOvarD
IllehI as a cozen other parts of the world which
we do not trouble ourselves 10 supervise No.
way, it is reported is already seeking naurraIizs
tlon by her netghbOrs. that she NAV be relieved
or the burden OF militarism and use her scant
resources for internal improvements
Third-A point neglected in all this discussion
is that as soon as the world is further Organized
and navies. The first step toward that nust
be the agreement at the second Hague confer
ence 70 establish a stated advisory world con-
sresS. which viii he the necessary machinery
py which all Improvement OF international rela-
tons must come.
You say. referring TO Mr. Carneeie's Iatta-
THE implied suggestion that nations ara -
abnegate their own national sovereignty and
surrender IL 70 some alien tribunal however
distinguished and benevolent is so impossibls
as to put the whole proposition bevond the ra1s
OF serious consideration - Would n courr yrbiob
we helped 20 constitute be some alien trl-
ounaI! At present the two nations at isgu,
choose their own judges at the Hague f-f-
DundL When one OF our states has an i-.n4
with another and the Supreme Court settles Il
has either lost any part Of its own sovereler,V
that 1t cannot we'll afford to lose to avert TIA
alternative OF war with certainty OF war set
Jung the case justly? The greatest glory OF our
country Is that the principles OF organization
which have maintained peace with Justice be-
tween one state and another have proved so
efteCttve that now, when science is annihflatfnc
make not merely forty-seven united srates
ont united world. Everything else-busiress.
population, educatiOn-is expanding. and orr
ganizatiOn. which makes possible peace with
justice must expand to include the globe.
Boston. Feb. q. 1907.
The attempt TO draw an analogy between the
relationship Of our states to the Federal Union
and that OF sovereign nations to the Congress
at The Hague or some stated advisory world
just as was that analogy incomplete which Mr..
Andrew Carnegie tried 70 draw between the re-
latiOns OF individuals TO a court and those OF
nations to tribunal OF arbitration. The states
OF this Union are not completely sovereign
Under the terms of the Constitution they are
all equally subject. in certain matters 70 fed
eral jurisdiction. When states OF this Union
submit their differences 70 the federal tribunal
they do not lose sovereignty. for when they
adopted the Constitution they renowned SOW
ereignty to that extent But nations have not
thus renowned sovereignty in favor OF any
international authority. We do not believe
they will ever do so. We certainly 90 NOT be-
heve they ever should do so. Science may annt-
hlate time and space as our correspondent re-
minds US; but it will not annihiIate the sense
of nationality or the passion OF patriotism. To
our correspondents inquiry. If a court which
we helped 10 constitute would be an ALLEN
tribunal we may Unhesitatingly answer yes.
II the majority OF its members were aliens 70
Is quite conceivable that this country would
submit some matters 10 such a tribunal for
adjudication. as il has hitherto done. That il
will ever engage. without reservation or quail
hcation, in advance thus to submit al. cues
lions and all claims which may be brought
against it. we cannot conceive.