New-York tribune., 1907-06-22
ANERIC1 At TILE N1GL-E-

The reservation OF Americas right to intro
duce the question Of limitation of armamcnts
at The Hague Is COmmendable though of course
it does not necessarily mean that the right will
be exercised While it may be doubted whether
anything practical-in the stock meaning OF the
wOrd-cOuld be effected in that direction by this
congress- it would seem to be desirable to have
the matter considered, and 1t is possible that
the educational and moral influence OF its con-
sideration would prove to be practical" as
any technical treaty. The hope Is expressed
that some European power will introduce the
subject without waiting for the United States
to do so. 1t would doubtless be fitting for
any power to introduce that or any topic, for
in counselS OF beneyolence. such as are assumed
TO prevail at The Hague, there should be no
sticking over technical points of etiquette or
precedence. a medieval prince might fall into
the fire and be burned in the presence of his
courtiers, because none OF them privileged
TO touch the royal person; but the peace and
welfare of the world are not thus to be treated
In view of the contrast between the Small ar
mamcnt of America and the large armaments
of the great European powers, it might be
argued that the latter should take the inltia-
tive, since it is they whose armaments most
need reduction, or it might conversely he argued
that America should do so. since she has always
consistently practsed Limitation OF armament.
just mentioned that there is assumed to be
special appropriateness in an American or an
American and British leadership in the matter
of arbitration, since this country, or 1t and Eng
land together, may reasonably claim to have
originated the modern practice of arbitration
and to have made by far the most frequent use
of it. 1t is true that arbitration in some form
is probably old government itself, but
arbitration as the world now knows and prac-
tses it dates from 1904, when John Jay made
Il treaty with England for the settlement or
boundary and other disputes by arbitration and
Alexander Hamilton urged its ratification with
his unsurpassed powers of argumcnt-ln the
face Of opposition from even so benevolent and
peace loving statesman Thomas Jefferson
and George Washington steadfastly main
tanned it against criticism which at times
amounted to Obloquy, until it finally triumphed
That act was the beginning of modern arbitra-
ton, and in IL America and England commit
ted themselves TO the principle OF preferring
peaceful adjudication to military force wher-
possible for the settlement of even grave
disputes, Franklin in 1850 had expressed wish
that human reason might be sufficiently i'm
proved for men to the advantage of adopt
ing some way by which nations might settle
their disputes without first cutting each others
throats. Hamilton in 1904 superbly urged the
realization Of Franklins wish, declaring that
1T would be a horrid and destructive principle
that nations could not terminate a dispute
by amicable agreement or by sub
mission to arbitration as its substitute"
The principle of peaceful settlement of dis
putes having thus been established by Amer
lea and England, these two nations ever after
ward most frequently practsed it. Lapradel,e
and Poiihs In their "Recueil des Traites OAR.