The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-01
NO BACKWARD STEP
Judge Gray, Eminent Jurist, Urges
 Ratification of Treaties

| Wilmington, Del, November 30-tSpe- 1 cial )-Judge George Gray of the United States circuit court, indorses the arbitra- tion treaties with France and Great Britain. Coming from man of his stand ing in the judicial and diplomatic world. a statement favorable 10 the treaties should have great weight. Judge Gray was for IA years a Senator from Della ware, and during that time was a leading member of the committees on foreign re- lations and judiciary. Near the close of his term he was one of the peace com missioners at the conclusion of the Span ish war. He was afterward appointed circuit judge and was chairman of the commission to settle the anthracite coal strike, and is a member of the perma- nent court of arbitration at The Hague. for the settlement of international dis putes In q recent interview with Judge Gray he said:
 ''It is not to be expected that interna- tional arbitration will make war mposs- ble. It will, however, make its inception more difficult. 1t is q movement in the right direction. We have found that dis putes between nations can be settled by arbitration. My experience as one of the members of the international court at The Hague. in the case which settled the question of the Newfoundland fisheries, was strikingly convincing in this respect. The controversy over the meaning of the treaty of 1S1S between the United States and Great Britain, and the obligations created thereby, had been vexing the diplomacy of the two countries for nearly 100 years and had often become so acute as to threaten war. and was always a cause of irritation. It has been settled by arbitration. The Alaska boundary dis pute, which at times threatened at least incipient warfare in the northwest, was practically settled in the same way.
 'It seems to me that in an almost prov idential manner there comes to us in our national existence remedy to meet con ditions that need a change. We have been going forward now for many years in the preparations for war building larger ships, erecting Qualifications and increasing the size of the army and navy unti lit seems almost an impossiblty to go further. Just at this time the world wide movement to settle International disputes gains momentum and it prom ises to meet a situation that seemed ap- pallng.
 "while wars will not be entirely abol- ished by the ratification of the arbitration treaties, the result will be generally ben eficial. As a consequence of such treaties, arbitration will have to be taken into ac- count whenever serious or threatening controversy arises between the treaty powers, and that will at least diminish the chances of war by affording the means of settling many of tho questions which lead to war, or bring civilized countries to the verge of war
 "The United States have been in ad- vance of every movement which looks toward the peaceful settlement of inter- national disputes. We are all proud by reason of our country's leadership in so great a cause. Our nation was among the first to indorse the proposals which re- suited In The Hague Tribunal, and the fact that we have proclaimed, through President Taft our willingness to submit all our international differences to arbitra- tion must sensibly and favorably affect the public opinior of the world and pro- mote the cause of arbtrati among all civilized people, We cannot now cake backward step. Our people have sape- toned the policy to which our govsrnns4rt is committed and it would be most seri- ous disaster if the arbitration treaties with Great Britain and France should not be ratified