The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-05-18
ROOSEVELT J0tTs
TAFT PEACE PACT
Says Country Should Reserve
Right to Fight on Some
Questions
WOULD BE CAUTIOUS
IN MAKING TREATY
Cites Instances in Which it
Would be IntOlerable for
Nation to be Bound
by Arbitration Pact

NEW YORK, May Is.-A position
Of direct opposition to President
Taft's proposed general arbitration
treaty with Great Britain and France
Is taken by Colonel Theodore Roose-
welt. In a signed editorial article in
the current number OF the Outlook.
He opposes any treaty which would
submit to arbitration, OF questions
affecting honor Independent or in
tegrtty, saying that a country which
took such position would be In
the same position OF man who went
to law when hia wife lis assaulted
and has her fAcs slapped. Such An
individual. says the colonel, who
went to law instead of forthwith
Furnishing the offender, would be re-
gArded with derision."
In Just the same way the United
States" he declares ought never
specifically 10 bind itself to arba-
trate questions respecting its honor.
Independence and integrity. Either II
should be tacitly understood that the
contracting powers no more agree to
surrender their rights on such vital
matters than . man in civil life agrees
to surrender the right of self-de-
tense; or else II should be explicitly
that. because of the fact, that II is
now impossible for either party to
take any action infringing the honor,
independence. and integrity OF the
other. we are willing to arbitrate all
questions.
Hypocricy Not Profitable.
"Hypocricy never pays in the iong
run. Even II the indifference OF the
nation should permit a specific agree
ment to be made to arbitraye such
vital questions that same majority
would promptly-and quite properly
-repudiate the agreement the mo-
ment that II became necessary to en-
force II. No eaaf-respecting nation,
no nation worth calling a nation.
would ever in actual practice consen,
to surrender its rights in such mat
ters Take this very case Of the
agreement between Graf Britain and
ourselves. Thank heaven IL Is now
i'm possible-and use the word
literaIly-that there shall ever be
war between the English speaking
people.
III Great Britain now started to
exercise the right of search as she
exercised II one hundred years ago,
with its incidents OF killing peaceful
fishermen within the limits of New
York harbor etc, etc. this country
would fight at the drop OF the hat
and any man who proposed to arbi-
trRte such matter would be tossed
CONTEMPORARY out OF the popular
path.
Should Act. With Caution.
I'VE should be very cautious OF
ton. however closely knit to US, the
form of which it would be impossi-
BILE to follow in making treaties with
other great civilized and friendly ma
tons
Col Roosevelt then discusses the
killing and wounding of American
citizens on American soil by. bullets
from Mexico and says. ''@'
I'm this case we have chosen to
submit to such invasions an liz our
right and privilege IL we so desire.
But II would be absolutely intolera-
BILE to bind ourselves to arbitrate
the questions raised by such inva-
sions.
IF for instance instead of its being
Mexican troops firing into our inland
towns and killing our citizens, it hap
peeed to be an English or Ger
once but again and again fired into
our coast towns killing and wounding
citizens this nation would imme-
diately demand not arbitration but
either atonement or war. In the same
way II a dispute arose between us
and another nation a. to whether we
should receive enormous masses OF
immigrants whom we did not desire
from that nation. no one who knows
anything of the temper OF the Amer
lean people would dream that they
would for one moment consent to ar
bitrate the matter. In such a case
We should say that our honor. our
independence, or integrity and. our
CONTINUED on seventh PareJ