The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-04-19
WEEK IN THE WORLD.
Great Events and Movements Which
Are Making History.

The first convention of the nationa
arbitration and peace conference CLOSED
in New York city Wednesday evening
after a three days session at which
many of the most prominent men in
this country as well as from abroad
were among the speakers. Andrew Car
negie, president of the congress, is
sued statement Wednesday, saying
that the conference had brought out
three objections. These objections and
answers to them are given below
First Nations cannot submit all
questions to arbitration?
Answer. Six of them have recent
ly done so by trcaty-Denmark and
the Netherlands, Chill and Argentina,
Norway and Sweden. "
Note; Since Norway has just Sc
cured independence, the treaty pro
vides that its integrity shall not be
questioned, but whether it is or not
affected in any dispute is to be decided
by The Hague conference.
SO much for the claim that nations
cannot submit all questions. They have
done it.
Second--Justice is higher than peace.
Answer-The first principle of nat
ural justice forbids men to be judges
when they are parties to the issue.
All law rests upon this throughout the
civilized world Were a judge known
to sit upon case in which he was
secretly interested he would be dis
honorcd and expelled from his high
office If any individual refuses to
submit his dispute with neighbor to
disinterested parties (arbitrators or
Judges and insists upon being his own
Judge, he would violate the first prin-
ciples of justice. If he resorted to
force in defense of his right to judge,
he would be dishonOred as a breaker of
the law. Thus peace with justice is
secured through arbitration, either by
court or by tribunal, never by one of
the parties sitting as judge in his own
cause. Nations being only aggregates
of individuals, they will not reach jus
tice in their judgments until the same
rule holds good, namely, that they like
individuals, shall not sit as judges in
their own cause. What is unjust for
individuals is unjust for nations. JUS
tice is justice Interchangeable and should
hold universal sway over all men and
over all nations.
Third. 1t is neither peace nor JUS
tice, but righteousness that shall eXalt
the nation.
Answer Righteousness is simply do
ing what is right. What is just is al
ways right what is unjust always
wrong. 1t being the first principle of
justice that men shall not be judges
in their own cause, to refuse to submit
to Judge or arbitrator is unjust, hence
not right; for the essence of righteous
ness above peace practically proclaims,
as it appears to me, that they will com
nit injustice and discard righteous
ness by constituting themselves sole
judges of their own cause in violation
of law, justice and right. Civilized
man has reached the conclusion that
he meets the claims of justice and of
right only by upholding the present
reign of law. Our pressing duty is to
extend its benignant reign to combi-
nations of men called nations. What
is right for each individual must be
right for the nation. This union of
law and justice, insuring peace and
good will among men through disinter-
ested tribunals, is the righteousness
which exalteth a nation" The de-
mand that interested parties shall sit
in Judgment is the wickedness that de-
grades nation.