The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-08-31
CANNOT EXIST
WITHOUT LAWS
Regulation of Mutual Relations
Between Civilized Nations a
Recognized Necessity.
IDEAS CHANGE WITH TIME
ADDRESS BY NOTED ENGLISH
MAN AT PORTLAND.


MAN AT PORTLAND.
Portland, Me-, Aug. 30-The follow
ing paper on international Law and
International Trade" was read at the
conference Of the International Law
association by ]. H. Balfour of Lon
don, England:
Mr.. Brownies Address,
mo two bodies, such as states. can
exist either in war or peace without hav-
ing some laws governing their relations
NO two or more nations can exist with
out the existence of natural laws as to
the inter-actiOn of one upon the other.
me more nations emerge from barbarisn
INTO civilization, the more their intar-ra-
Iatlons and Observation-Disclosures are in
creased, the greater becomes the neces-
SHY Tor the recognition of the laws which
must Fesuia their mutual relations. IN
teTnattonal law is the. courtesy of ma
tons, and we advance along the road
OF civilization we will find that there is
the same sanction for these laws which
exist Tor morals and politeness which are
OUTSIDE the sanction of our courts but
which are really as strenuously enforced
as are our criminal laws
There is IN our days a tendency to lay
stress upon nationality, or the molecular
force which forms the state unit: and we
nave In the last century seen these mole
culan forces do notable work on the
great stage of Europe in the unification
OF Itaiy ana Germany. Recently, how
ever, we have to note a fissure in a ma
tionai unit In the separation of Sweden
and Norway. And Great Britain has its
problem of segregation to deal with.
which hQUa fn ha uDIx- -, a.
| future, either as Scandinavia has for the
| time solved its problem of independence,
or as the United States solved its prob
lem OF unity when the southern states
endeavored TO camp out Il is neces-
sary. however, in considering the great
questions OF International law TO have re-
gard to the tendencies alluded to. The
Imperialism of Britain does not. as the
/ Imperialism of Rome did, aim at univer-
sal empire. but at the consolidation of
its colonial empire and the closer re-
lations which still further mutual de-
pendence will bring about between the
There must still exist units, larger units
of nations between whom the courtesy
of nations must continue to exist.
Commercial Competition.
But the feature of our times is that
these national units are. now, as they
never were before, at work in cOmpeti-
! tive commerce. and it is with the prob
supremacy that many of the questions
of the newer international law must nee
essarily arise. With the older questions
of international law we are more or less
familiar. We have seen that one of the
main objects of international law is to
promote peace-and even in the event of
war to prevent the conflagration spread
| ing to other nations than those that have
actually drawn the sword. When two
nations are at war International law says
| it Is the duty of others to give them "a
! fair field and no favor It is the free
dom of commerce in a world OF shop
! keepers which is tending more and more
to mitigate the rigors Of war, and that
very mitigation is a means Of peace. 1t
| is therefore. the clear duty of neutrals
not ito feed the rival guns with ammuni-
| ton. But assuming that il is the duty
! Of neutrals to stand aloof in such mat
| tiers. then we have to recognize the right
of belligerents to see that they really are
neutral If they are pretending neutral
1 ity, and yet assisting the enemy, the
| limits Of war are at once enlarged.
Wise international Law.
In the old days the right Of search
might be justified on grounds which can
not carry conviction in these. The high
! seas are now the essential highways of
| commerce and the paths of travel. Great
| Britain can feed only six and a half
/ million people. while she has forty mil
/ lion hungry mouths to supply. Now. il
I =
nations are at these grim loggerheads,
the right of search of any British ship
| on the high seas by one or the other
/ of the beilgerents might put an end to
| her commerce and would certainly be a
| serious drawback to her trade But here
| international law has put I'm a wise word
/ for the extension OF the courtesy of ma
/ tons. 1t has been suggested that there
! should be a guarantee given by neutral
/ nations that certain ships, carrying mails
| passengers and ordinary commerce. have
/ been examined in the home ports and
/ have no contraband OF war on board II
/ is in these ways that we may ameliorate
! the climate of war, and ii is by gradually
! pruning the haggard branches that we
may hope that its upas growth may die
/ down and be no more a pest on the peace
/ of the world. But IT was rather in con-
| nection with the war of peace that I had
desired TO say something today. We de-
sire TO recognize that tariffs are ram
parts and that ramparts are war, and
that while these r6mpartS exist. which
protect the markets OF our rivals from
our peaceful aggression and so deprive
our capitalists of the return on their
capital and our workmen of the wages
J they might earn. and thus produce lower
| wages in our country, an increasing num-
Der of unemployed-the blowing off al
/ the safety valve Of emigration. and dis
| tress, that it is the duty Of the state to
/ industries. Just as much in this state OF
] belIigerency as in the case Of actual war;
\ and that It is the imperative duty OF
/ the state to take means to mitigate the
| rigors of this so-called peace.