The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1909-06-19


Much misery results and this Is un-
douhtedly one Of the great causes Of
immigration to our country from
Europe, where large armies and navies
are maintained. The large powers with
many colonial poss essions have to main
tain navy in proportion to their needs at
q relatively greater expense. A country
with powerful navy to enforce all its
decisions, naturally evades the call of
justice and another great wrong creeps
out of these conditions.
When affairs reach such a crisis that
the question in dispute cannot be settl-
ed by diplomacy, war follows. But can
war settle these questions? War only
determines which party in the strife Is
the stronger. The winner in the contest
will enforce its side of the question,
whether right or wrong.
The situation may well be compared
to that of the ''Ordeals" which were in
force in Europe about four centuries
ago and are still used by some of the
uncivilized tribes in Africa. If man
committed a crime, he was tried by
these ordeals. There were many
methods but the one most commonly
used was combat. The accused
fought with the accuser and the case
was decided in favor of the winner of
the fight. The belief was that divine
help would be given to the man who
was in the right and he therefore
would win out in the contest.
In our progress, we have substituted
courts of law in place of the ordeals to
try all private wrongs; why not carry
this ADVANCEMENT one step further and
substitute international courts in place
of war to try all national wrongs.
This problem carries its own solution
to certain degree. Already arbitration
settled several controversies between
the United States and England. The
United States has signed arbitration
treaties with twenty-four countries. A
permanent court called the Hague
Court has been established and it holds
meetings.
If supreme court of the world was
established and was authorized to
decide all controversies and the power
| to enforce all its decisions, navies and
armies could be gradually decreased
and in the end abolished. The whole
system would be like our courts of
law and justice would be meeted out to
every nation alike; size and strength
would not count.
The United States being one of the
leading powers of the world should take
some step in this direction. She has in
| the past extended her influence towards
settling all difficulties by arbitr alton
and she should in the future show to
of arbitration are better means of
settling disputes than war.
When conditions have been brought
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of good will be the result. The many
millions of dollars appropriated for
battleships could be spent wisely in
other directions.
If these sums were used for educa-
tion, who can estimate the benefit that
would be derived therefrom? A modern
battleships costs seven million dollars.
This amount of money would be suf-
ficent to build twenty-five High schools
like ours and pay all the expenses for
thirty years. Remember this is for but
one battleship. Think of the many that
are being built. Could not many colleges
and universities be endowed and literally
equipped and free education furnished
to : good number of students? The
common people could also OBJ tain q
liberal education at the government ex-
pense and the result would be more
intelligent citizens and voters. Better
government would follow and all the
nations of the world would be held
together by bonds of friendship, which
never could be severed. Does it not
therefor, fellow citizens, become the
bounden duty of this and the other
nations of tho world to stop this enor-
nous shipbuilding industry and to build
up a system of international courts,
where right shall rule?
Again we ask you if this Supreme
Court of the world is not the only
solution to'this great problem of the
navy.