The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-01-26

report ol Mr. Sims of che Department
of Commerce and Labor ON this .ub-
jcct
lu casc We are compelled to abandon
Che hope of making arrangements with
other governments to put au end to tha
hidruus cruelty now incident to pclagic
scaling. 90 win be- o. question for your
serious consideration how FAR we should
continue 90 protect and maintain thc seal
herd on land with the result of continuing
such "a practice. and whether 30 is not
better 90 end the practice hy cXtcrmiua-
ting the herd ourselves in the most hui
name way possible.
SECOND HAGUE CONFERENCE.
In my last message / advised you that
the Emperor of Russia had taken the
initiative in bringing about second
peace conference at The Hague. Under
the guidance of Russia the arrangement
of tire prcliminarics for such confer
cnce has been progressing during the past
year Progress has necessarily been slow,
owing to the great number of countries
to be consulted upon every question that
has arisen. II is a matter Of satisfac-
ton that all of the American republics
have now, for the first time, been invited
to join in the proposed conference.
The close connections between the sub
jects to be taken up by the Red Cross
conference held at Geneva last summer,
and the subjects which naturally would
come before The Hague conference, made
IT, apparent that it was desirable to lmve
the work of the Red Cross conference
completed and considered by the different
powers before the meeting Of The Hague.
The Red Cross Conference ended its la
bors on the 9th day Of July, and the
revised and amended convention. which
was signed by the American delegates,
will be promptly laid before the senate.
BY the special and highly appreciated
courtesy Of the governments of Russia
and the Netherlands, a proposal to call
The Hague Conference together at time
which would conflict with the conference
Of tire American republics at Rio de ia
metro in August was laid aside. No 9TH
or date has yet been suggested. A tenta-
tive programme for the conference has
been proposed by the Government Of Rus
STA, and the subjects which it enumerates
are undergoing careful examination and
consideration in preparation for the con-
ference.
PEACE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS.
It must ever be kept in mind that war
is not merely justifable, but imperative,
upon honorable men, upon an honorable
nation, where peace can only be obtained
by the sacrifice of conscientious convic-
ton or Of national welfare. Peace is
normally great good, and normally 1t
comedies with righteousness, but it IS
Righteousness and not peace which should
bind the conscience of nation as II
should bind the conscience of an lndlVl-
dual: and neither nation nor an lndlVl-
dual can surrender conscience to another
keeping. Neither can nation, when Is
an entity. and which does not die as IN
diyiduals die. refrain from taking thought
for tire interest of the generations that
are TO lone, no less than for the interest
of the generation of to-day; and no pub
lie men have a right, whether from
shortsightedness from selfish lndlHer-
ence or from sentimentally, to sacrlhce
national interests which are vital IN char
acter. A just war is in the long run lar
better for a nations soul than the most
prosperous peace obtained by acqulesc-
ence in wrong or injustice. Moreover
though it is criminal for nation not 10
prepare for war, so that it may escape
the dreadful consequences or being de-
feated in war, yet it must always be re
membered that even to be defeated IN
war may be far better than not to nave
fought at all. As has been well and hne-
" said, beaten nation is not necessarl-
Iy a disgraced nation but the nation or
man is disgraced if the Obligation TO de-
fcnd right is shirked.
We should as nation do everything
in our power for the cause OF honoraDle
peace. 1t is morally as indetenslDle Ior
a nation to commit a wrong upon another
nation. strong or weak, as for an lndlyl-
dual thus to wrong his fellows. We
should do all in our power to hasten
the day when there shall be peace among
the nations-a peace based upon justice
and not upon cowardly submission TO
wrong. We can accomplish a good deal
in tins direction, but we cannot accom-
plish everything, and the penalty OF at
tempting to do too much would almost
inevitably be TO do worse than nothing
for it must be remembered that fan
tastic extremists are not in realty leaders
of the causes which they spouse, but
are ordinarily those who do most to ham
per the real LADDERS Of the cause and to
damage the cause itself As yet there is
no likelihood of establishing any kind of
international power Of whatever sort
which can effectively check wrongdoing
and in these circumstances it would be
both a foolish and an evil thing for a
great and free nation to deprive itself of
the power to protect its own rights and
even in exceptional cases to stand up for
the rights of others. Nothing would
more promote iniquity, nothing would
further defer the reign upon earth OF
peace and righteousness, than for the
free and enlightened peoples which,
though with much stumbling and many
shortcomings, nevertheless strive toward
justice, deliberately to render themselves
pOwerless while leaving every despotism