Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-05-06

but the establishment or a sufficient
number Of these treaties would go
| long way towards creating world opin-
ion which would finally find expression
, in the provision of methods to forbid or
punish any such violation.
FURTHER DEVELOPMENT.
Secondly there is the further develop
ment of The Hague tribunal of the work
of the conferences and courts at The
Hague. 1t has been well said that the
first Hague conference framed Magma
Charta for the nations; it set before us
an ideal which has already to some ex-
tent been realized, 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 govern
ment has more than once tentatively sug-
gested methods for completing the court
of arbitral justice, constituted at the
second Hague conference, and for render
ing II effective. II is earnestly TO be
hoped that the various governments of
Europe, working with those of America
and of Asia, shall set themselves serious
ly to the task of devising some method
which shall accomplish this result. II
may venture the suggestion. ii 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. |
cannot help thinking that the constitu-
ton of the United States, notably in the
establishment of the supreme court and
in the methods adopted for securing
peace and good relations among and be-
tween the different states. offers certain
valuable analogies to what should be
stTiven for in order to secure. through
The Hague courts and conferences,
species of world federation for interna-
/. tional peace and justice. There are, of
course, fundamental differences between
what the United States constitution does
and what we should even attempt at this
time to secure at The Hague; but the
methods adopted in the American consti-
tuition to prevent hostilities between the
states, and TO secure the supremacy Of
the federal court in certain classes OF
cases, are well worth the study of those
who seek at The Hague to obtain the
same results on a world scale.
CHECK NAVAL GROWTH.
In the third place, something should he
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 it.
self; for 1t is eminently undesirable, from
the standpoint of the peace of righteous
ness, that a power which really does be-
lieve in peace should place itself at the
mercy of some rival which may at bot
tom have no such belief and no intention
OF acting on it. But. granted sincerity
Of purpose, the great powers of the
world should find no insurmountable diff
Guilty in reaching an agreement which
would put an end to the present costly
and growing extravaganza of expendi-
ture on naval ornaments. An agree
ment merely to limit the size OF ships
would have been very useful a few
years ago. and would still be of use; but
the agreement should go much further.
Finally, ii would be a master stroke IL
those great powers honestly bent on
peace would form a league of peace,
not. only to keep the peace among them
selves, but to prevent, by force IL neces-
sary, its being broken by others. The
supreme difficulty in connection with de-
veloping the peace work of The Hague
arises from the lack OF any executive
power, of any police power to enforce
the DEGREES of the court. In any COM
munity of any size the authority 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 are both ready and will
ing to see that the DEGREES of judicial and
| legislative bodies are put into effect. In
new and wild communities where there is
violence, an honest man must protect
himself: and until other means of secur-
| ing his safety are devised, II is both
foolish and wicked to persuade him to
surrender his arms while the men who
are dangerous to the community retain
| theirs. He should not renounce the right
to protect himself by his own efforts I'M
til the community is so organized that II
can effectively relieve the individual OF
the duty of putting down violence. So
| IL is with nations. Each nation must
keep we'll prepared to defend itself until
the establishment of some form of inter
national police power. competent and
willing to prevent violence as between
nations. AS things are now such power
to command peace throughout the world
/ could best be assured by some. combina-
tion between those great nations which
sincerely desire peace and have no
! thought themselves OF committing ag-
| gressions. The combination might at
| first be only TO secure peace within GER
| tain definite limits and certain definite
conditions: but the ruler or statesman
! who should bring about such a combina-
| ton would have earned his place i'm his
tory for all time ard his title to the
gratitude Of all mankind.