The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1910-05-11
ROOSEVELT SPEAKS BEFORE
NOBEL PRIZE COMMITTEE
Lecture on international Peace" Is Delivered
in Christiania- Ways in Which the
Cause May Be Advanced Are
Set Forth.


explicit agreement that (aside fron
the very rare cases where the nation,
honor Is vitality concerned) all othe
possible subjects of controversy will
be submitted to arbitration. Such ,
treaty should insure peace until on,
party deliberately violated 1t. O
course, as yet there is no adeouat,
safeguard against such deliberate vic
lation, but the establishment of
sufficient number of these treaties
would go long way towards creating
world opinion which would finally
find expression In the provision oil
methods to forbid or punish any such
violation.
Work Of Hague Tribunal.
Secondly, there is the further de.
velopment of The Hague tribunal, OF
the work Of the conferences and courts
at The Hague. 1t has been we'll said
that the first Hague conference
framed a Magma Charta for the ma
tons; 1t set before us an ideal which
has already to some extent been real
lied, and towards the full realization
OF which we can all steadily strive.
The second conference made further
progress; the third should do yet
more. Meanwhile the American gov.
eminent has more than once tenta,
lively suggested methods for com.
pleting the court of arbitral Justice,
constituted at the second Hague con.
ference, and for rendering it effective.
1t Is earnestly to be hoped that the
various governments Of Europe, work.
ing with those Of America and of
Asia, shall set themselves seriously to
the task OF devising some method
which shall accomplish this result. If
l may venture the suggestion, it would
be we'll for the statesmen of the
world, IN planning for the erection of
this world court, to study what has
been done in the United States by the
Supreme court. I cannot help think.
Ing that the Constitution Of the Uni.
ted States, notably in the establish.
ment of the Supreme court and in the
methods adopted for securing peace
and good relations among and be.
tween the different states, offers Ger.
tain valuable analogies to what should
be striven for in order to secure.
through The Hague courts and confer.
ences, species of world federation
for international peace and Justice.
Ihere are. OF course, fundamental DIFF.
1erences between what the United
states Constitution does and what we
should ever attempt at this time to
secure at The Hague; but the meth. |
ods adopted in the American Consti- |
tuition to prevent hostilities between
the states, and to secure the suprem.
acy of the federal court in certain
classes OF cases, are we'll worth the |
study OF those who seek at The Hague |
to obtain the same result on a world
scale.
Undue Growth Of Armaments.
In the third place, something should
be done as soon as possible to check
the growth OF ornaments, especially
naval ornaments, by international
agreement. No one power could or
should act by itself; for it's is eminent.
~ undesirable, from the standpoint of
the peace of righteousness, that a
power which really does believe in
peace should place itself at the mercy
OF some rival which may at bottom
have no such belief and no intention
OF acting on it. But, granted sin.
cerlty of purpose, the great powers of
the world should find no insurmount.
able difficulty in reaching an agree.
ment which would put an end to the
present costly and growing extrava.
gance of expenditure on naval arma.
ments. An agreement merely to limit
the size Of the ships would have been
very useful few years ago, and would
still be of use; but the agreement
should go much further.
Finally, it would be a master stroke
IL those great powers honestly bent on
peace would form league of peace.
not only to keep the peace amonr
themselves, but to prevent, by force II
necessary, it's being broken by others.
The supreme difficulty in connection
with developing the peace work of
Inc Hague arises from The lack of any
executive power, of any police power
to enforce the decree of the court.
In any community of any size the all.
[horlty OF the courts rests upon actual
Or potential force; on the existence of
police, or on the knowledge that the
able-bodied men of the country ara
both ready and willing to see that the
lecrees of judicial and legislative
bodies are put into effect. In new and
Wild communities where there is vic.
ence, an honest man must protect
himself; and until other means of Sc.
'urins his safety are devised, it is
10Th foolish and wicked to persuade
lin to surrender his arms while the
nen who are dangerous to the com.
nunity retain theirs. He should not
enouncc the right to protect himself
y his own efforts until the commu.
ity is so organized that it can effec.
lively relieve the individual of tho
uty OF putting down violence. So II
with nations Each nation r,,,,4 |