Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-07
WOULD SETTLE
ALL DISPUTES
WITHOUT WAR
INTERNATIONAL TROUBLES TO
BE TAKEN INTO COURT
SOCIETY WILL BEGIN CAMPAIGN
OF EDUCATION
Purposes of Organization Are Ap-
proved by President Taft, Sec
retary Knox and Leading
Promoters of Peace
ASSOCIATED Pressl

| dence of Theod re Marburg, the Amer
lean Society for the Judicial Settlement
of International Disputes, which will
| devote itself principally to issuing ar
/ ttcles by leading men of all countries
| on subjects indicated by the title of
the organization and to organize meet
/ ings of national scope in various parts
of this country from time to time, with
| a view to educating the American peo-
| pie as to the desirability of promoting
| the peace of the world by settling
| points of international controversy in
| the same general way in which differ
ences between individuals are now
settled.
In the meeting the following letters
were read:
THE White House, Washington, D.
| c., Jan 81, 1910.-My dear Marburg: [
| have learned with interest of the plans
! to found an American Society for the
Judicial Settlement of International
| Disputes The leaflets which you pro-
pose to publish, together with the meet
| ings of national scope which you are
planning to hold from time to time,
may have very great influence on
the development of public opinion on
| this important subject. If the pro-
| posed court of arbitral justice at The
| Hague becomes an accomplished fact
there will still remain the task of Sc
curing the adhesion of a number of
| powers to the court and the very i'm
portant task of so cultivating opin-
ion in various countries as to incline
| governments to resort to the court
! when occasion calls for it. There is
no other single way in which the cause
| of peace and disarmament can be SO
| effectively promoted as by the firm es-
| tablishment of a permanent interna-
tional court of justice. Sincerely yours,
! "WILLIAM H. TAFT"
Knox Approves Plan
Department of State Washington,
| D. c., Feb. 3, 1910.-My dear Marburg:
You are quite right in assuming that
take not only a keen personal, but
official, interest in the movement for
which your society is to be organized,
! for, as you are doubtless aware, I
have in an identical circllar note,
dated October IS, 1909, urged the pow
| ers to invest the international prize
| court with the jurisdiction and func-
tions of a court of arbitral justice, thus
completing the work of the second
Hague peace conference by carrying
| into effect its recommendation that the
court of arbitral justice be constituted
| through diplomatic channels.
Should the identical note be favor
ably received and should the court of
| arbitral justice be thus constituted, the
| consenting nations would have a per-
| manent international tribunal for the
| judicial determination of controversies
| arising out of peace as we'll as war;
| and it cannot be doubted that such
tribunal would in large measure render
to nations the services which national
courts have performed for private liti-
gants. By the settlement of contro-
versies susceptible of judicial deter
mination before they have reached an
acute stage, the cause of war would be
minimized and q first step taken to-
ward the gradual decrease of arma-
ment.
"Regretting my inability to testify
by my presence the great interest I
have in the organization of your So
ciety, am, very sincerely yours,
''P. C. KNOX"
Root Expresses Sympathy
United States Senate, Washington,
D. c., Feb. 2, 1910-My Dear Mr.. Mar
burg: I beg to say to your guests that
I sympathize very strongly with their
| object and believe that the proposed or
| ganization is to render great public
| service. I assume the organization is
to have a definite object, which may be
! indicated by the emphasizing of the
word judicial in it's title to indicate
| distinction between that kind of settle
| nent of international disputes and the
ordinary arbitration as it has been un-
| derstood in the past, and is generally
understood now.
Il assume that you are going to urge
that disputes between nations shall be
| settled by judges acting under the ju-
| dicial sense of honorable obligation
with a judicial idea of impartiality
| rather than by diplomats acting under
the diplomatic idea of honorable obli-
cation and feeling bound to negotiate
a settlement rather than to pass with
| out fear or favor upon questions of
| fact and law. 1t seems to me that such
change in the fundamental idea of
what arbitration should be is essential
| to any very great further extension of
| the idea of arbitration.
II nave been much surprised, how
ever, to see how many people there are
| of ability and force who do not agree
! with this idea at all, particularly peo-
| pie on the other side of the Atlantic.
The extraordinary scope of judicial
| power in this country has accustomed
| us to see the operations of government
| on questions arising between sovereign
states submitted to judges who apply
| the test of conformity to established
| principles and rules OF conduct en-
| bodied in our constitution.
at seems natural and proper to us
| that the conduct of government affect
| ing substantial rights and not depend
| ing on questions of policy should be
passed upon by the courts when occa-
| sion arises. 1t is easy, therefore, for
Americans to grasp the idea that the
| same method of settlement should be
applied to questions growing out of the
! conduct of nations and not involving
| questions of policy.
"In countries, however, where the
! courts exercise no such power the idea
/ is quite a new one to most people, and
| if it is to prevail there must be a
process of education: Such a process
will naturally receive its chief impulse
In the United States, and hope your
new society will give such an impulse,
with vigor and accurate direction. With
kind regards, ! am always faithfully
| yours. ELlHU ROOF
Burton Indorses Plans
Omitted States Senate, Washington,
| .. c., Feb. 3, felony Dear Mr. Mar
burg: have the strongest desire that
your proposed society may render eff
! fcient service. The settlement of con-
| troversies between nations in the same
general manner as between individuals
must be the adopted policy in promot-
| ing the cause of peace and preventing
wars. I have always maintained that
our own country should take a leading
| part in this work, and hope for your
! organization the greatest degree of
success. Very respectfully yours,