The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-18
ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST
HAGUE CONFERENCE
CONTINUED from Page one.)

mediate right of homicide in self-de-
tense, paralleling the generally ac-
knowledged rule that politically de
fensive war is the only legitimate one
20. II. Ernst, 4 Johns. L. Cycl. 1884,
and because the attack is based on
greed or upon the universal desire to
sustain ones svlf and add to one s
worldly possessions / do not know
that Rob hoy was officially lower In
the scale of morals than the bullying
governments which exploit weaker and
defenceless tribes and nations.
Dueling has been rendered obsolete
in those communities where legislation
has been enacted providing for the set
Element of disputes and the punish
ment of assaults, the popular sentiment
behond such legislation, tending at the
same time toward common sense view
of the dueling code, which refuse 20
recognize 1T as either chivalrOus or re-
spectacle 1t has disappeared save as
the vainglorious and foolish fad of
school boys and the arbitrament of a
few survivors of a decadent civiliza-
tion, not because it has been forbidden
and punished by law, but largely be-
cause of the better methods of settling
quarrels and obtaining satisfaction for
provided, and the practical sentiment
which is partly the cause and partly
the result of such methods. Whereas,
with severe repressible legislation
against highway ROBBERY, road agents,
train robbers and burglars, such en-
terprises continue to be carried on over
the civilized world.
Is not the lesson to be learned from
these facts this, that, if anything is to
be accomplished for the prevention of
war through a cooperation of the ma
tions, it viii be rather by providing
judicial proceedings for the settlement
of disputes in courts fully empowered
to decide such issues, than by laws en-
acted forbidding and Furnishing war
faref
INFLUENCES AGAINST. WAR.
The influences which tend most con-
spicuously to discourage war at the
present time appear to be (frst) public
sentiment, which is more especially eff
fective in those communities where
representative government exists;
(seeond) improvement in firearms and
other appliances and agents for the de-
struction of human life in battle, or
perhaps, more correctly, the disable
ment of the individual soldier and the
decentralization of armies, and at sea
the isablement of fighting ships;
(third) the development of commercial
enterprise whereby national material
interests are becoming more and more
exposed to disaster. when the nation
TO which such enterprises belong is en-
gagged in a foreign war; (fourth) colo
NAL development by which the area
exposed to attack is not only greatly
increased, but more or less isolated;
and (ifth) international arbitration,
which is still in it's infancy.
1t is obvious that the first of these
influences, public sentiment, is and
must be the basis of any success
through the Discrimination rep
resentative governments being in the
majority at the present time, and their
populations being foremost in educa-
ton. enterprise and acquaintance with
public affairs
The two Hague Conferences al
ready held-and particularly the last,
upon which the public sentiment of the
civilized world had time to make itself
felt through direct communications and
newspaper discussions of the subject
were for this reason more or less repre-
sentative of the worlds sentiment.
The first Hague Conference was
suggested by the Gar of Russia for
the purpose of considering chow relief
might be secured from the burdens of
the great ornaments which the powers
felt obliged to keep up. No progress
was made toward disarmament; some
rules were adopted for the conduct of
military operations on land, and war
was made safer for the future, and
H., ;,,+. !
with less hesitation, by prohibiting for
five years the throwing of explosives
from balloons, prohibiting the use of
projeetiles charged with asphyxiating |
gases, and prohibiting the use of dunn !
dunn bullets. A distinction is to be re- |
cogniZed in the work of the conferences
between efforts to prevent war from |
becoming extremely dangerous and |
those seeking to do away with methods |
which cause useless suffering. While |
the latter must be regarded as most |
meritorIous. the former is open to the |
criticism that it is evidence of a fear |
lest war might be rendered impraeti- |
cable if the forbidden methods should /
be tolerated.
The valuable worl; of this conference |
was the agreement for the pacific set
Element of international controversies. |
Here is where the work of the confer |
ence sounded the worlds desire and |
responded to the universal interest |
This "provided for special mediation |
by neutral powers, for international /
commissions of inquiry into issues of |
fact and .'for the creation of a per
manent international court of arbitra- |
tion, = After this agreement was rati-
fed by sixteen of the powers concern |
ed. and their respective quotas of the |
members of the court appointed. the |
court was opened in April 1901, and has
already settled several international |
disputes.
SECOND HAGUE CONFERENCE.
The second Hague Conference, held /
last year. was much larger and more
representative than the first. being /
made up of delegates from all the in
dependent nations except four. 1t fail
ed. as the first had done. to adopt an
agreement reducing national arma-
ments. 1t made progress in improving