The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-05-05
of methods to forbid or punish any
such violation.


| Secondly there is the further devel-
opment of The Hague tribunal. of
| the work of the conferences and
courts at The Hague. II has been
well said that the first Hague confer
ence framed a Magma CEarta for the
nations; it 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 government
has more than once tentatively Sug-
gested methods for completing the
court of arbitral Justice, constituted at
the second Hague conference, and for
rendering it effective. 1t is earnestly
to be hoped that the various govern
ments of Europe. working with those
Of America and of Asia, shall set
themselves seriously to the task of de-
viSing soma method which shall ac-
complish this result If may ven
ture the suggestion. it would be well
for the statesmen of the world in plan
ming for the erection of this world
court. to study what has been done in
the United States by the supreme
court. 1 can not help thinking that
the constitution of the United States,
notably in the establishment of the SUI
preme court in the methods adopted
Tor securing peace and good relations
among the different states. offers GER
tain valuable analogies to what should
be Strlven for in order to secure
through The Hague courts and con-
ferences, a species of world federation
for international peace and justice.
There are, of course, fundamental diff
ferences between what the United
States constitution does and what we
should even attempt at this time to
secure at The Hague: but the meth
DDS 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 well worth the
to obtain the same results on world
scale.
Check to Arnlaments.
In the third place omething 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 is eminently
undesirable. from the standpoint of
the peace of righteousness, that a
power which really does believe in
peace should place itself a. the mercy
of some rival which may at bottom
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 insurm ountable
difficulty in reaching an agreement
which would put an end to the present
costly and growing extravaganza Of
expenditure on naval ornaments. An
agreement 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, it would 3e master stroke
if those great powers honestly bent on
peace --Or'ld form League of Peace,
rot only to keep the peace among them
selves, but to prevent, by force if nee
essary, its being broken by others. The
supreme difficulty in connection with
developing the peace work of The
Hague arises from the lack of any ex-
ecutiye power of any police power to
enforce the DEGREES of the court. In any
community of any size the authority of
the courts rests upon actual or poten-
tial force; on the existence of a police,
or on the knowledge that the able
bodied men of the country are both
ready and willing to see that the de-
creeS- of judiciaP1and 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 securing his
safety are devised, it is both foolish
and wicked to persuade him to sur
render his arms While the men who are
dangerous to the community retain
theirs. He should not renounce efforts
Until the community is so organized
that it can effectively relieve the indi-
viduaI of the duty of putting down vio-
lence. So it is with nations. Each ma
ton must keep well prepared to defend
itself until the establishment of some
form of international police power,
competent and willing to prevent vio-
leEce as between nations. AS things
are now, such power to command peace
throughout the world could best be as
sured by some combination between
those great nations which sincerely de-
sire peace and have no thought them
selves CT committing aggressions The
combination might at first be only to
secure peace within certain definite
limits and certain definite conditions;
but the ruler or statesman who should
bring about such a combination would
have earned his place in history for
all time and his title to the gratitude
of all mankind.