New-York tribune., 1910-12-17
PEACE ADVOCATES HEARD
Plan for Court of ArbitraI Justice
Discussed.
PRAISE AND CRITICISM
English Delegate Blames Arma.
ment Makers for War Scares
Views of Americans.

who ultimately would drag various coun-
tries into the bankruptcy court was
charged by Francis w Hirst. editor of
The London Economist in address
before the American Society for Judicial
Settlement of international Disputes to-
night
He characterized as absurd the purchase
of Dreadnoughts by Brazil Ito protect itself
against Argentina and declared that the
rivalry between Japan and the United
States was crushing the people Of Japan
under a load OF taxes. while armament ex-
penditures also were wrecking the finances
Of Great Britain and Germany.
The Supreme Court Of the United States,
ss analogous to the proposed arbitral court
was often cited in the discussions OF the
conference. Andrew ]. Montague, ex-Gov-
ernor of Virginia. chara cteriZed the United
States Supreme Court as an international
court because il was called upon TO settle
differences between sovereign states.
General depreciation of war was added to
by Charles Noble Gregory, dean OF Iowa
State University, who said aviation was
new means of destroying men by overhead
attacks the inland cities now being no
more immune from invasion than the sea-
coast points
The permanent court Of arbitral justice
received favorable and unfavorable treat
naent by various speakers OF the day MI
Hirst commented on the danger or having
the court too judicial" urging that diplo-
macy be mingled with justice Tor the gen
erai satisfaction Of all.
Lord loreburn's Letter.
He read a letter from Lord Loreourn'
Lord High Chancellor Of England WHO
wrote:
need not tell you how deep and sincere
,s nv sImnathv with any movement 10
further the Judicial settlement OF lhtetn0 t[
tional disputes. 1t Is the nope % aTe
future ana Will be realizeu-of mat a4i. =!
contident-sooner or later And Wheh IL
comes the world Will. with gratitude, re-
rreInber the sustained efforts OF the Amer
loan government in this good cause, and
Will treasure them among the loftiest en-
ceavoTS OF great n6IoLS-
AS between individuals said Mr.. Hirst,
so between nations, there is a place Tor
the strictest Interpretation Of a statute by
mere lawyers, who care nothing for the
consequences, and Will not look beyond the
legal meaning of the words There Is a
place also for q broader and more equitable
construction. and. finally, there is place,
especiaIly as between countries whose laws
and customs have grown up entirely apart
for thousands of years-say, between the
United States and Japan, or Italy and
C-hina-fo- mixture of law and compro-
mise.
MY purpose" continued Mr. Hirst, lis
70 show that the evils and dangers are con-
stantly shifting and changing, so we must
he ready to apply various remedies Inc
growing wealth and power OF contractors
who supply governments with stores ano
arrlar4ents Of all kinds is portentous- They
90 well afford to keep a press which shall
lcuse or aggravate nations fears and jaal-
.sl.s.ies, playing off one prospective battle
SE5o against another.
TIE favlrite reply of armament mon
..ers is that armaments are the enly Sc
cuYity. II you are unGrmed they say,
YOU are unsafe; that laws and conventions
NAV be broken and that there is no inter-
national force behind an international
award no army or navy behind an inter
national tribunal, no means of aTresting an
\ International tribunal. They quote the
4 ancient dogna-f you want peace. prepare
for Yes, baf as Ar- Asquith pointed
out the other day, the growth Of arIna-
T1ents is becoming such a financial burden
upon even the richest states that the tax
alton it involves arouses dangerous internal
siiscontents which may at any time provoke
outbursts destructive of the worlds peace
III is the good fortune of the United
States TO be so rich. populous and powerful
and so far removed from panicky contact
with armed neighbcrs that she is free 10
tionai feud-'
Ex-Justice Browns Views.
Henry 3. Brown. former associate justice
Of chs United States Supreme Court de-
Tended the work of The Hague Tribunal
snd gave little encouragement for the
effec,uality Of permanent court Of arbi-
-ral Justice. chiefly because of the ah-
sence of an authority or DEGREES sufficient
fS
said that he believed progress was being
made toward the crystalIization Of opinion
in favor Of judicial settlement, but that
tfe creation of a permanent court that
would be satisfactory 10 all seemed like an
impossible task.
He said a court with q representative
from every natipn would be too cumber-
Some. while one composed Of a few mem
hers would he unsatisfactory because no
workable court could be iupanelled which
could deal with all cases liable to be
brought before it
One Of the first steps in the creation of
worldwide peace, he said. was the limita-
ton OF ornaments by treaty so long as
great powers Of Europe persist in multi
l,lying their dreadnoughts and IN training
every man as soldier employment Will be
found for them TO justify their existence.
Evolution is the law which has brought
90 its present stage the question Of inter
rational arbitration by courts in the settle
rnent Of difficulties between nations, de-
olared Governor-elect Simeon E Baldwin Of
Connecticut He said that nothing of hu-
man hanliwcrk that comes to stay Is sud
denlv conceived or produced ard that this
law applied to international courts as well
SIS TO anything else. 1T is this law. he
added. --thet gives courage 10 the members
of this society in looking to the establish
n,ert Of international courts They seem 10
rs the natural and logical outcome of what
al-eady has been accomplished.
An international court is not a passing
.oea Of speculative theorists, he asserted
II. quoted the words of General Grant, that
.-tFere never was line when some way
could not have been found Of preventing
,he drawing of the sword The epoch Of
,,eaoe contemplated by Grant seems now
st hand" declared Judge Baldwin, in con
,I,.sion THE times have presented the
<,,caeton. II is for the world 10 grasp IL ]
sbelieve it will"
Canadian Proposal Cheered.
f rsc.r 6 Straus, United States Anbas-
ss.5or II Turkey, who presided tonight,
read the dispatch of last night from Ottawa
telling of the proposal 10 introduce reso-
luton in the British Parliament for per-