The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-05-23

 for of the trust in human justice as administered in the courts of last re- sort of a great nation, that is generally felt by the civilized world.
 I do not think that the cases all ready disposed of by The Hague tri- bunal have impressed the public mind throughout the world with any pro- found sentiment of confidence in it's reaching just conclusions in all cases.
 The remarks of one of the Russian judges presiding in proceedings coming on for a hearing at the outbreak Of the Russo Japanese war-in which he ap- parently sought to use the opportuni- ty thus given him to bring the public opinion of the world to the support of the Russian position-created very unfavorable impression, and warranted the strong protest against his action subsequently, filed by Japan.
 The implied indorsement also, in the Venezuela case, of the use of ships of war to force a settlement of disputed claims of private individuals, was dis tasteful to many of the friends of peace, The court gave preference in payment to claims of citizens of powers which had thus intervened for their en- forcement and obtained a kind of se- curity for them, by taking possession of Venezuelan ports. This was cer- tainly putting premium on armed in- tervention to safeguard private inter- ests.
 The membership of the court is also so large and so heterogeneous and the training of the different judges has been so different in the matter of le- gal requirements and judicial adminis- tration, that some of those upon the bench command much more respect from the world at large, as regards their qualifications for such place than do others.
 It has been suggested that The Hague tribunal should be kept continually in session. This, as the court is now constituted, would seem hardly prac- ticable
 Of the hundred judges, more or less of which it would be composed were each power to appoint all which it is entitled to name, probably not half would be really capable of trying such cases as are likely oftenest to come be- fore it. No judge can sit to advantage without considerable familiarity with the French language now without hav ing made a special study of interna- tional law, The rules governing the pro- duction of evidence in cuntries following the Roman law should also be known to those who are to preside at any trial in the Hague trib- unal. It is also obvious that in every case that comes before it the proce- dure of the tribunal itself takes shape, and furnishes something in the nature of rule for subsequent hearings, which will be best understod by those who tried the case.
 All these things point to the conclu- sion that the personnel of the Hague courts as now constituted, Is not of kind to make permanence in Its ses- sions desirable. The theory on which | it was devised was to furnish large panel of standing judges out of whom the parties to any controversy could select few with whom they would be content to leave its decision, To keep them all statedly at or near the Hague, whether with view of having them ready to respond promptly to call for their services, or in order to fit them better for the execution of their office, would involve an expense out of proportion to the benefits that could be anticipated, and might also tend to discourage some of those best qualified for such a position from ac- cepting an appointment to it. It may be added that the objections already strong, to admitting a judge of the tribunal to practice before 1t, would be intensified if all the judges were al- ways in attendance.
 If the court were one of not more than ten or fifteen judges, different considerations would apply. With smaller membership, more efficiency would probaly be reached. But on the other hand there would be apt to | be less readiness to resort to if, par
 ticularly on the part of the lesser pow CTS.
 The great good of the Hague tri bunal is that it offers an acceptable way of bringing international controv- ersies to an end, without resort to arms. It is often even more import ant, both for the parties and the gen eral good of human government, to have decison rendered that brings q controversy to an end, than that the l decisions should be the right one. Be l it right or wrong, the dispute is clos l ed, and society is left at peace. The Hague tribunal Is less adapted for the attainment of justice between litigating powers than the ordinary courts of law in countries of high civ- ilization But contending powers will seldom be content to litigate before or- 1 dinary courts. They will often be content to litigate before the Hague
 tribunal, because they can pick out
 those of the judges in whom they have the most confidence, to hear their cause, and because, at any rate, it will be better than war, and saves to each 1 the humiliation of acknowledging it.
 self to have been in the wrong by sur- rendering by it's own action the posi- ] tion which 1t had previously assumed. WOMEN'S CLUB TO MEET.