The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-11-02
PRETENSE
AND THE REALTY
Discussed by Ex-President Roosevelt
With Particular Reference to the
Events Which Have Happened in
China and the Mediterranean,
China and &c Mediterranean.


New York, Nov Theodore Roose-
welt has an article on "Arbitration; Pre-
tense and Reality" in the current num-
Der of the Outlook. II says in part
Surely the real friends of peace in
this country ought 10 be able TO profit
by the events that have happened in
China and i'm the Mediterranean during
these very fall months, since the arbi-
tration treaty was considered in the
Senate. During these months we have
seen a widespread revolt in China, with
utter dsorganzation Of the empire, and
we have seen war Unexpectedly break
out between Italy and Turkey. In China
there has doubtless been much excuse
for the revolt because of tyranny and
misgovernment, and this tyranny and
misgoyernment have been greater than
in any really civilized nation, although
the Chinese are far more unwarlike
than any civilized nation, and have an
army very much less efficient than that
of any civilized power. The complete
absence of unitarian in China and
China's effort to rely purely on pacific
measures in dealing with all foreign
powers, have not only caused it to lose
various provinces to various foreign
powers within the last few decades, but
have had not the smallest effect in saw
ing it from tyranny, misgoyernment and
the most far-reaching economic misery
at home, and moreover, have had the
effect Of depriving it Of means even of
keeping order within its own boundaries.
"As for the war between Italy and
Turkey, / am not now concerned with
its ethical justification. Personally, /
believe that it is in the interest Of hui
manity that Tripoli should fall under
European control, Just as it is in the
interest of humanity that Morocco shall
SO fall; just as it has been of immeas
mable benefit to mankind. and especial
ly to Algerian and Egyptian mankind,
that Algeria and Egypt should fall UNI
der the control Of France and of Eng
land. But this Is not the point. The
point is that this war proves the utter
inetiiciency of paper treaties when they
are unbacked by force; the utter folly
OF those who believe that these pa
per treaties accomplish any useful pur-
pose in the present stage of the worlds
development when there is no force be-
hind them; and, finally, not merely the
folly but the iniquity Of making treaties
which there is no real intention of put
ting into effect. Turkeys treaties with
various European powers explicitly guar
antee her integrity, and on the mere
technical localities Of the case no court
of arbitration in the world could pos
sibly declare N any other way than as
against Italy and for Turkey if the
case at issue between them were brought
to arbitration. Turkey has all the pro-
lection possible to give her by paper
treaties: and yet all of these treaties
thus guaranteeing her against dismem
berent, thus pledging the honor OF va
rious great nations to guarantee her in
tegritv, are not worth as much as a
single gunboat Of the smallest size the
minute that it becomes worth while
for any serious opponent TO attack her.
If Turkey had had a fleet which relative
~ TO other fleets was even approx
mately as strong as her army, no man
Of any sense believes that the war would
ever have occurred. She had no such
feet; she had merely the protection
the treaties afforded her; and the min
ute the test came the treaties proved
not only utterly insufficient as a sub
stitute for navy, but not worth the
paper upon which they were written.
In passing. be it observed that this was
quite as much because the treaties prom
ised too much as for any other rea-
son.
ut would be not merely foolish but
wicked for us as nation to agree to
arbitrate any dispute that effects our
vital interest or our independence or
our honor; because such an agreement
would amount on our part to covenent
to abandon our duty, to an agreement
to surrender the rights of the American
people about unknown matters at un-
known times in the future. Such an
agreement would be wicked if kept, and
yet to break itas it undoubtedly would
be broken if the occasion would
be only less shameful than keeping it.
A self-executing arbitration treaty of
such kind cannot be devised, simply
because no such treaty that can be de-
vised viii execute itaelf, or will or
ought to be executed by the nation in
time of stress OF course the same rea
sons which make it impossible to agree
to arbitrate questions that involve our
vital interest, independence, or honor,
apply to any proposal to submit to
others the question whether or not a
given dispute Of such kind is justi-
fciable, or does or does not involve
such questions and therefore should or
should not be arbitrated.
IF as people we with to make
genuine advance, to promise what can
and will and ought to be done-instead
of merely making a pretense by prom
Using something which win not and ought
not to be performed should the ocea-
sion to keep the promise ever arise
we should agree definitely to submit to
arbitration all disputes that do not in
volve the vital interest, the independence
or honor of the nation, and we should
at the same time make provisions which
win tend to bring about a pacific solu-
ton of all disputes not covered by the
treaty. To this end provision should
be inserted in such treaty that if either
party to it claims that dispute in
wolves its vital interest, its independ-
ence, or its honor then always provided
that neither party takes a position that
necessitates immediate action by the
otherl, upon the request of either party,
all questions of fact and all questions
of law involved in the dispute shall be
referred to arbitrators who shall have
no power to decide the dispute, but shall
be authorized to pass upon the contro-
versy as to questions of fact and of
law, and to recommend such adjust
II H.,