The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-04-17
'Ir. President and Gentlemen:

In every country which has reached
high stage of civilization may b,
seen the working of two distinct ant
apparently inconsistent motives OF
principles of national conduct. Or
the one hand there Is the narrowly
and Immediately utilitarian motive
ard there is the competitive attitude
fashioned upon the habits of sell
preservation and self-asscrtion en-.
joined by the necessities of the strug.
lglc for existence. With this motive
each country pursues specific national
advantages, meeting in a hard, dry
business-like way, without sympathy
o. sentiment, the facts Of world in
which there Is much selfishness and
greed. In which every nation is pri-
Earily looking out for itself, and in
which there is ordinarily some ag-
gressor ready to take advantage of
the over-trusting and defenseless.
On the other hand, there Is the eth.
ioal, altruistic, humane impulse that
presses forward constantly toward
ideals. It's possessors, loving liberty
and justice and peace. long to make
al. men free and safe and secure in
their. rights; their eyes are fixed up.
on the ultimate goal toward which
civilization tends: they are striving
that better htings shall replace the
cynicism and selfishness and cruelty
which have always 81 widely charac-
terized mankind they assert princi-
pies, and set up standards of action,
which they call upon mankind to
adopt, and mankind too often gives
theoretical assent but denies practical
conformity.
In every mans nature there ar,
manifestations or traces of each of
these impulses; and In every natiun.
there are many citizens in whom
one, and many In whom the other,
impulse strongly predominates. AS
circumstances bring one class of mo-
tives or another into control of ma
tional conduct in different fields of
national action. strangely variant and
inconsistent national action results.
The same nation may be seen hard
and practical, and at another time.
or perhaps In another field at the
same time. exhibiting tie highest de-
gree of unselflshness and humanity.
Under the predominance of one mo-
tive, national power has been built
up; administration has been ms ie cr-
fective: commerce has been extended:
material wealth, the matriX of civil
ization. has been created and pro-
tected; the citizens of each country
have been secured against aggres-
sion from without; and, in the slow
process Of centuries. the code of prac-
fical rules convenient and necessary
to the peaceable intercourse of ma
Tons have been elaborated. Under
Lhe predominance of the other mo-
i've, the conception OF individual
charity and humanity which found
ts highest expression in the Chris
Ian revelation. has slowly i'm
pressed itself upoa the conception of
national duty and responsibility In
It's development. the idea of national
and national ethics has
been forced into the international
system which formerly acknowledged
he undisputed sway of selfshness and
,ruelty, long condemned as immoral
l the relations between individuals.
1t is natural that the hard and
practical motive shall be uppermost
IA the men engaged in the conduct of
government: they are endowed with
limited and definite powers and
charged with specific trusts for the
be nefit of their own people: their du-
lies are TO protect and advance the
interests of their own country, and
hose duties relate. in the main, to
The material interests of their coun-
L.ymen; their specific powers are
given to them for that specific pur-
pc Sc: they have no warrant of at
-orney to express or give effect to
The benevolent or humanitarian i'm
pulses of their constituents; under
government, as a rule,
such expression is not committed by
aw to public officers, but Is reserved
% the people. In the discharge OF
heir international duties government
Il officers have to deal with a world
'f selfish competition and ever-pres-
INT possibility of aggression and in
Jury, which compel them to think
irst and chiefly OF the interest OF
heir own country as a lawyer argues
he case of his own client. They
lre constrained by the rules of con-
iuct between nations which the ex-
of centuries has shown to be
necessary to the peace of the world.
Among the first OF these is, that the
government of each nation shall at
end to Its own business and respect
he sovereignty, and refrain from in
erferlng with the internal affairs of
very other nation. This rule Is
he chief protection OF the liberty OF
mail and weak nations against the
aggression OF the strong To break il
lown whenever the officers of one
'overnment disapprove the conduct of
mother government within It's own
urlsdiction,' would be to break down
he barriers which civilization has
erected for the protection OF the
weak. with results as fatal as IL the