Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-08-31
The More Civilized Nations Be-
come More Inter dependent
Their Relations.
TARIFFS ARE RAMPARTS'
And Ramparts Arc War, Declares j..
II. Bnlfour Browne of London,
Before Law Conference.


paper on international Law and Inter
national Trade" was read at the confer
ence OF the International Law associa-
ton by j. II. Balfour Browne Of Lon
don, England
MIR. BROWNIES ADDRESS.
mo two bodies, such as states, can
exist either in war or peace without
having some laws governing their rela-
TONS No two or more nations can e&-
list without the existence of national
laws as to the inter-action OF one upon
the other. The more nations emerge
from barbarism into civilization, the
more their INTERPRETATIONS and inter-de-
Tendencies are Increased, the greater
becomes the necessity for the rocogni
ton of the laws which must regulate
their mutual relations. International
law is the courtesy of nations, and as
we will find that there is the same
sanction for these laws, which exist for
/ morals and politeness which are out
side the sanction of our courts, but
which are really as strenuously en-
forced as are our criminal laws.
NATIONALITY IDEA.
There is in our days tendency to
lay stress upon nationality, or the mole
cular force which forms the state unit,
and we have in the last century seen
these molecular forces do notable work
on the great stage of Europe in the
unification of Italy and Germany. Re
Gently. however, we have TO note a ifs
sure in a naNio<ll unit In the separation
of Sweden and Norway. And Great
| Britain has its problem of segregation
to deal with, which may have to be
solved in the near future, either as
Scandinavia has for the time solved its
problem of independence, or as the
| United States solved its problem of uni
ty when the southern states endeavored
to camp out 1t is necessary, however,
| in considering the great questions OF M
ternational law to have regard TO the
tendencies alluded to. The Imperialism
of Britain does not, as the Imperialism
of Rome did, aim at universal en-
pire, but at the consolidation of It's
colonial empire, and the closer relations
which still further mutual dependence
will bring about between the mother
country and the children states Ihere
must still exist units, larger units OF
nations between whom the courtesy OF
nations must continue to exist
UNITS IN COMPETITION.
"But the feature of our times is that
these national units are now, as they
never were before, at work - compeu~
tive commerce, and 1t is with the prob
lem of international competition fof
trade supremacy that many of the
questions of the newer international
law nkst necessarily arise. With the
older questions of international law we
are more or less familiar. We have
seen that one of the main objects of m
ternational law is to promote peace
and even In the event OF war TO pre-
vent the conflagration spreading to oth-
er nations than those that have actu-
ally drawn the sword. When two ma
lions are at war international law says
1t is the duty of others to give them a
fair field and no favor It is the free
dom of commerce in world of shop
Keepers which Is tending more and
more to mitigate the rigors of war, and
that very mitigation is means or
peace. 1t Is, therefore, the clear duty
of ne,ItraIs not TO feed the rival guns
with ammunition. But assuming that
II is the duty of neutrals to stand aloof
i'm such matters then we have to rec
ognize the right of belligerents to see
that they really are neutral IL they
are pretending neutrality, and yet as
sisting the enemy. the limits of war are
at once enlarged.
TARIFFS ARE RAMPARTs.
.Jn the old days the right to search
might be justified on grounds which
cannot carry conviction in these. inc
high seas are now the essential high
WAYS of commerce and the paths OF
travel. Great Britain can feed only
d, 500 900 people. while she has 40,oOO'-
600 hungry mouths to supply. now
II England is not at war and two other
nations are at these grim loegerheads.
the right of search of any British ship
on the high seas by on. or the other
of the beligcrents might put an END
10 her commerce and would certainty
be a. serious drawback to her trade.
But here international law has put
In a wise word for the extension OF the
courtesy of nations It has been sug-
gested that there should be a guaran-
tee given by neutral nations that GER
tain ships carrying mans, passengers
xand ordinary commerce.. have been
examined In the home ports and have
no contraband Of war on board. II v
in these ways that we may anchor
ate tho climate OF war md II is by
gradually pruning the haggard branch
es that we may hope that its upas