The new era., 1909-05-20

in the world. There had then been
no arbitrations between nations In our
modern sense of the word nations In
the 100 years since 1909 more
than $50 important controversies have
been settled by this means, not to
mention an even greater number of
less important cases. the settlement
of which involved the principle of ar
bitration. Within the past 20 years SO
rapid has been the triumph of arbi-
tration that more than 100 interna
tlonal differences have been disposed
of by this means, or between five and
six year for the whole 20 years.
The Hague Court.
1.-The first Hague conference, ten
years ago,gave us the Permanent In,
ternational court of arbitration, which
has now been in successful operation
for about eight years and disposed of
several important controversies. This
court was strengthened and improved
by the second Hague conference two
years ago, and, by the admission of the
South and Central American states to
it, has become the arbitration court,
not of the 26 powers that gathered at
The Hague in 1899, but of the entire
world This tribunal is now taking
practically all the international differ
ences not adjustable by diplomacy.
within less than six years, more
than 80 treaties of obligatory arbi-
tration, stipulating refere nee to The
Hague court of all questions of a
judicial order and those arising in the
t,,t~ toft Df ho,,
concluded between nations in pairs,
23 of which were negotiated the past
year by our distinguished eX-Secretary
of State Root, and ratified by both
the president and the senate.
The Hague Conferences.
"III. In order to determine further
the advanced position which the
peace movement has attained on its
practical side, the two Hague confer
ences and what they have ac.
complished must be taken into ac-
count. 1t is still the habit of some per-
sons to speak disparagingly of these
great gatherings and their results.
Some do it because they are satisfied
with nothing short of immediate per-
fection; others because they wish the
whole movement for the abolition of
war to fail. Othere do it purely from
ignorance.
1.-THE first Hague conference gave us
the permanent international court of
arbitration, to which "a powers finally
became parties by ratification of the
convention. This court has now for
eight years been in successful opera
tion. and not less than four contro-
versies have been referred to 1t dur
ing the past year. The second Hague
conference enlarged and strengthened
the convention under which this court
was set up, and made the court the
tribunal, not of 25 powers, but of all
the nations of the world.
1.-THE high water mark OF the work
of the second Hague conference was
reached in its action in regard to fu-
ture meetings OF the conference. The
principle of perirdic meetings of the
conference hereafter was approved
without dissenting voice. The date
even of the third conference was fixed
and the governments urged to appoint
at least two years in advance an in
ternational commission to prepare the
program of the meeting"
Dean w. P Rogers of the Cincinnati
Law school brought this session to a
close with an eloquent talk on "The
Dawn of Universal Peace"
Addresses Monday Evening.
Monday evenings meeting was de-
voted to "The Drawing Together of
the Nations" and was presided over
by Dr. Hirsch. The addresses were
on Independence Versus Interdepend.
ence of Nations" by Prof. Paul s.
Reinsch of the University of Wiscon.
sin; Racial Progress Towards Univer-
sal Peace" by Rev. H. T. Healing of
Nashville, Tenn; and THE Biology of
War" by President David Starr Jor-
dan of Leland Stanford, Jr., Univer-
sity. At the same time another meet.
ing was in session in Music hall, with
Miss Jane Addams in the chair. The
speakers there were Joseph b. Burtt
of Chicago, on "Fraternal Orders and
Peace" Prof. Graham Taylor of Chi
cago Commons, on Victims of War
and Industry" Samuel Gompers, presi-
dent OF the American Federation of
Labor, on "Organized Labor and
Peace" and John Spargo of Yonkers,
N. Y, on international Socialism as
a Peace Factor"
Commercial and Legal Views.
Two big meetings were held Tues.
day morning, one on commerce and in.
dustry, presided over by George q.
Roberts, president of the Commercial
National bank Of Chicago, and the
other on Women and Peace" with |
Mrs. Ellen NJ. Henrotin of Chicago as
chairman. The former session was
addressed by Bolton Gilreath of Bir- |
mingham, Ala, w. A. Mahoney of Col. |
umbus, O., James Arbuckle, consul of |
Spain and Colombia, St Louis. and |