New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1909-12-15
INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION AND PEACE
The Mission Of Amerka in the Politics u the World.
Speech Of Mr. Barthold in the house Of Representatives

The world is governed not by men,
not by parties, but by ideas. The
idea which gave birth to this notable
congress is the greatest moral issue
now confronting this as we'll as all
other nations of the earth, and it is
not optimism, but deliberate Judgment
which prompts me to believe that when
this idea has once penetrated the
minds and hearts of the masses, it will
sweep the world.
Our great difficulty is in making
people understand it, The cause of
Justice, which we plead, is usually
wrapped up in large words; it pre-
supposes some knowledge of law, and
is, on the whole, SO complicated as to
battle a common school education
And, what is worse, it is invisible.
You can not see or grasp it. From
childhood on man is constantly i'm
pressed with the splendid parapher-
MALTA of war. AS children we play
with toy soldiers; in school we find
war gloriied in the textbooks we
have to read; as youths we are taught
that patriotism requires our joining
the militia; and as men our eyes are
dazzled with shining uniforms and
our ears are filled with martial music.
We see splendid monuments erected to
perpetuate the memories of war, and,
lest we forget our great battle ships,
these monsters of the sea are sent
around the world to make sure that
the people are reminded of their
existence every day for the period of a
whole year.
Against all these Vaccinations
which impress the minds of the people,
through eyes and ears, with the glory
of militarism and war, the friends of
worldwide peace are at great disad-
vantage, for, as have said before.
the weapons they employ in their war
upon war are invisible and the pro-
Their weapon consists simply in an
appeal to reason and their progress
exists only in the minds of men. But
despite this disadvantage, let me tell
you that all the clap-trap of militarism
will avail nothing in the end as
against the restless force of our idea.
What, then, is our idea? Let me
present it to you in a nutshell. 1t is
that our peace with foreign nations
shall be secured in exactly the same
manner as our domestic peace is Sc
cured, namely, by referring all con-
troversies to the courts for settlement.
This method of settling disputes has
been enacted into law by every civil
lized nation in order to secure its
peace at home, and we insist that each
nation should readily consent to, aye,
strive for, simila International enact
ments in order to secure it's peace
abroad. .-.
Is this plain enough? But you will
see it still more plainly by raising
yourself little above the level to
take bird's-eye view of the world
and watch the attitude of the nations
toward their own citizens, on the one
hand, and toward their sister nations,
on the other. You will observe at
glance that the nations are two-faced
and that their position is so schock-
ingly inconsistent as to be wholly
untenable before the forum of either
reason or morality. Let me point out
to you some of those Inconsistencies.
| By authority of the nations law you
and I are forbidden to arm ourselves
and to take the law in our own hands
in case of controversy with
neighbor.
In the interest of peace the law
points to the courts as our only right
full recourse. Query: Do the nations
themselves observe this rule of con-
duct laid down by their own law? No;
they do not even think of it. They
maintain ornaments and 60 on build
ing battle ships, and in case of a con-
troversy they go to war and fight.
At least they have done it, and as yet
we have not got them where they will
say: We will not do it again. At
home nations prohibit fighting and
the carrying of weapons in the interest
The Present Primary Law
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