The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-18

g
/ they can De forced To go for rellres.
because sovereign states acknowledg,
j no superior.
FIRST GREATER COURT.
Yet since The Hague Peace Confer
ence there has been a court 70 decid,
international controversies on princf.
pies of law, provided the contendinR
~arties are both willing Is submit tbs
/ Issues 10 arbitration
The doors of this court ara n he
kept always open and the international
struggles for law may be made here
instead Of on field Of battle, provided
disputing nations so agree. And this
opportunity established by this Peace
Conference will often, 1t may be hoped.
change the forum of national struggle
for law, from the battlefield to the
bar of this court. But always the
struggle for law will go on. and only
the form of it be changed.
And this is best and right. A man
Of honor will defend his rights, so
will an honorable nation. Not to do
so Is moral and national suicide.
This principle is best expressed by
the publicist, Won Ihering: we quote:
The end of the Law is Peace The
means to that end is War. So long
as the Law is compelled to hold itself
in readiness to resist the attacks of
wrong-and this it will be compelled
to do until the end of time-it can
not dispense with War. The life of
the law is a struggle. struggle of
nations, of the state power, of classes.
of individuals"
LAW FROM STRIFE.
All the law in the world has been
obtained by strife. Every principle of
law which obtained had first to be
wrung from those who denied it; and
every legal right-the legal rights of
a whole nation as well as those of in
dividuals-supposes continual readi-
ness to assert it and to defend it, The
law is not the mere theory but a liv-
ing force. And hence 1t is that Justice,
which in one hand holds the scales
in which she weighs the right, carries
in the other the sword with which she
executes it. The sword without the
scales is brute force. The scales with
out the sword is the impotence of law.
The scales and the sword belong to-
gether, and the state of the law is
perfect only where the power with |
which justice carries the sword is
by the skill with which she |
holds the scales.
Law is an uninterrupted labor. and |
not of the state power only, but of i
the entire people The entire life of |
the law. embraced in one glance, pre- |
sents us with the same spectacle of |
restless striving and working of a |
whole nation afforded by it's activity in |
the domain of economic and intellec-
-ua1 production. Every individual |
placed in a position in which he is
to defend his legal rights. |
takes part in this work of the nation,
and contributes his mite towards the
realization of law on earth.
Men and nations owe a duty to
themselves to defend their rights and
20 not allow malicious injury to go
The philosopher, Kant, says, LET not
Tour rights be trampled under foot by
,thers unpublished"
Have the dignity of humanity in you.
This is manliness. when a man has /
made a worm of himself he cannot /
complain if he is trampled under foot"
Punishment for injury is engraven on
he hearts of all vigorous men and ma
ions and finds expression by blows, by
Lctions at law, by wars and in many
ther ways.
When an individual on proper occa-
ion does this he is helping to establish
aw and justice in his nation, and every
ation which. to protect its rights. goes
o war, is helping to establish right,
Justice, law and peace on earth.
~ wARSHIPs FOR PEACE.
On January 18th, 1908, President
Roosevelt declared to the President of
'razil, that 1.-THE warships of America
xist for no other purpose than to pro-
act peace against possible aggression,
nd justice against possible oppres-
ion."
No doubt the presence of our war
hips in the Pacific Ocean is a pow
rful factor in giving to the world a
aasonable hope of peace on the Pacific.
his presence has accomplished more
nan The Hague Conference did or
ould
The cannon OF mighty battleships can
e heard where the whisperings of a
uny conscience are unheeded. 4
Inc great guns now INA I
ond Head are missionaries of peace.
nd help take away the temptation TO
AXE war upon us.
From the standpoint of ease and ,
resent enjoyment, peace is most de- |
rable and may be planned for and
orked for as a great Relative Good. IL
n the other hand war is to be shun- {
ID when this is possible without dis ,
NOR: avoided when it may be with
It impairment of individual or ma
9nal justice, for war is a Great Rela-
re Evil.
Peace is opportunity for enjoyment,
r happiness. :
War may be a duty for the main :,
nance of individual and national jus
e. liberty and life-may be strug- :
2 for peace. :
PEACE WITH HONOR. =
Peace purchased by loss of justice. Il
erty and honor is only for the cow IT
d, the weak, and the wicked. Such "a
peace is but a promise to transgress !,
at injury and insult may, with i'm vc
nifty, be heaped upon those who thus "
Dmit for the sake of ease. It is but
source of temptation for injustice and =
p and is of short dura ton. ,