The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-31
PEACE ADVOCATES GATHER AROUND
 FESTIVE BOARD
tcoNTINUED FROM PAGE D

U~~~~~~~~~~-~-~>~~~~ justiciable question under the treaty. Professor Bassett Moore who is perhaps the greatest international authority We have in this country, says the very same thing. Sir Edward Grey said so on the floor of parliament. so l think we are rather safe on that question. Then question is whether we should arbitrate the right of anybody to come into this country against our will. Of course, fl we make a treaty letting man in why we are bound to respond to the treaty, but if we do not the question of letting anybody in is a question of national policy and not international policy and cannot be arbitrated. It is question of the liberality of the nation that owns the ground and territory. That is all.
 The possibility of some tribunal being established that would take such ques- tions was discussed by the President and he disposed of it by pointing out that such a court would be merely human machine and liable to error but that there would be no reason why we should not use the machine if it offers generally the best solution and stand the result of a mistake in d few instances.
 "What we have got to come to is this" said the President, ito recognize either that we want arbitration and peaceful settlement of disputes or that we don - And we have got to mean business when we go into arbitration. This playing or heads I win, tails you lose will not make progress in a Christian civiization. It is not possible that we should win in every case"
 Speaks in Favor of Treaties
 In starting out the President spoke in favor of the treaties with Great Britain and with France much on the lines he
 ,,,1 ofa1.r close of his speech branched into the re- plies to criticisms and charges of incon- sitency At one point in this portion or his speech he became enthusiastic.
 'I take nothing back" he said The President declared that if ever anything should be submitted to arbitration it was questions of personal or national honor Then he stopped and said:
 Perhaps l have gone too lar Tn my enthusiasm" But the audience would not have it that way anl when he asked pointedly:
 Are we to step back?" he got an em- phatic "Nol" for response.
 The President was loudly cheered as he concluded.
 Among those at the table with tho President included the speakers of the evening, Andrew Carnegie, Oscar S Straus. former ambassador to Turkey; former United States Senator Charles A Towne and Henry Clews with Gov.- elect Earl Brewer of Mississippi: Bishop David H. Greer of the Protestant Epis- copal church; Raoul Dandurand, chair man of the inter- parliamentary group. Canadian parliament and United States Senator OGorman of New York. Graves Postmaster
 John Temple Graves, the toastmaster, opened the speechmaking. There was never a banquet swaddled in stormier eossip that has passed into serener con summation" he said. "The peace ban ouet of 1911 presents on this magnih- cent occasion the declaration or all US motives and the vindication of every method that had brought it into life Mir Graves reviewed the movement for universal peace, which, he sald, "revolves at last around our country, and paid warm tribute to President Taft. declaring that "the stateliest steps that have been taken for peace in hu- man history have been taken by the twenty seventh President of the United States" In giving way to the guest of the evening, he said: 'I preseiN to you William Howard Taft, the great peace President of the republics life.'
 The mention of MT. Graves in his remarks of Two great. wise treaties with France and England waiting the laggard Senate's vote early made it that specific indorsement of these conventions, which had aroused so much discussion in arranging the dinner was not going to be neglected and this was further shown by the speeches which followed. Andrew Carnegie's contribution to the laudation of peace and the arbi- tration treaties deigned to promote it was largely in the form of sheaf of letters received by him in reply to a letter which he wrote last spring | to democratic governors of states and l to other prominent members of that party, asking their views on the pro posed treaty of arbitration with Great | Britain. These responses were from | Governors Dix of New York, Baldwin | of Connecticut, Toss of Massachusetts, | Wilson of New Jersey, Harmon of Ohio and from Speaker Champ Clark of the House of Representatives, United States Judge Gray of Delaware, w. J. Bryan, | Alton B. Parker and Mayor Gaynor of New York. All indorsed the plan of ar- bitration in general and most of them the principle of arbitration to Include all matters that may come into dispute
 between nations. Oscar s. Straus, for
 mer ambassador to Turkey, declared that a momentous question was pend- 1 ing, question upon which the solution
 of our national honor depends, oul
 readiness to ratify treaties to which we
 have invited Great Britain and France | to assent. They have already assented Shall these beneficient engagements