Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1909-05-06

dress by Congressman Richard Bar
tholdt of Missouri, president of tn,
American Group, Interparliamentar,
union. Another paper that met Will
| deserved applause was that of Edwin
ID. Mead of Boston on THE Arrest il
Competitive Aiming in Fidelity to The
Hague Movement
Competitive Aiming.
In discussing this question, Mr.
Mead said:
Let us consider simply Great Brit
ain, Germany and the United States
lt is unnecessary to go further, be
cause these three nations control the
situation, and they are the chief sin.
ners. II these three nations began to-
day to act, with reference to arma
ments, in accordance with the spirit
and purpose of The Hague convention,
the peace and order of the world
would be assured tomorrow.
I'm 1898 Great Britain spent on her
navy $124,000.000; Germany spent
S2S,0O0,000; and the United States
spent $50,000,O00. Last year Great
Britain spent S170,OOO,000; Germany.
Ss3,000,0 900; and the United States,
S104,0eO,000. The increase in precise.
ly ten years when there should have
been decrease was enormous. Our
own army expenses last year were as
great as our navy expenses. Our navy
expenses this year will be $50, O0O, 600
greater than last year. We are to-
day paying for expenses OF past wars
and preparations for possible wars IS
per cent, practically two-thirds, of
our total national revenue, leaving
barely one-third available for all con.
structive purposes. What would Wash
ington and Jefferson and Franklin say
to this? We know what they did say
about things OF this sort. They would
say to-day that the republic was stand
ing on its head.
Hope for the Future.
This is what has come about in
ten years in these three nations be-
cause The Hague conference in 1899
old nothing about the reduction or ar
rest OF ornaments. As we now look
back. we see that it could not do much
directly at that time. The war sys-
tenn of nations could be supplanted
only by the gradual development OF q
system of international law and JUS
tice to take It's place. When the FIRST
Hague conference created the inter.
national tribunal, ii did indirectly the
most probably which Il could do In be.
half of the reduction OF ornaments.
because II took a long step in furnish.
ing the nations with such legal ma.
chinery for the settlement OF their diff
ferences as makes recourse 60 war
more and more unneces-
sary and inexcusable. II has been in
the line OF this thought that the in.
ternational lawyers have had their
hopeful assurance. Develop the legal
machinery, they said, and the arma-
ments will perforce crumble OF their
own dead weight
The continued and rapid develop
nient during the decade Of provision |
for the peaceful settlement of interna-
tional disputes has been something un- |
the movement for international Justice |
are sometimes reproached with being |
ireamers. The only trouble with them |
in the past ten years has been that, so |
far as the development OF the instru-
nents OF international justice are con-
they have not been able to
dream daringly enough or fast enough |
10 keep up with the facts"
Among the diplomats who came to
Chicago to attend the Peace congress
we're: Ambassador Count Johann
Heinrich Won Bernstorff OF Germany:
Herman de Lagercrantz, envoy from
Sweden; WI Ting Fang, envoy from
China; Alfred Mitchell Innes, coun.
selor of the British embassy, and DIR.
Kont OF the University OF
The Japanese, Turkish and
French embassies also were repre-
'enteA.