New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-27
MOH0NK ENDORSES TAFT
Fifty-one Organizations Join IN
Sending Telegram.
OSCAR S. STRAUS TALKS
Says international Morality Lays
Far Behind Commercial Fair
Dealing Within Nations.

Nohonk Lake y. Y. Nav 26.-The repre-
sentatives Of ffty-one commercial orGani-
cations attending the seventeenth annual
meeting Of the Lake Mohcnk Conference
of International Arbitration to-day sent
kilograms n President Taft and Senator
Cullom. chairman of the Senate Committee
on Foreign Relations saying that they
heartily indorse treaties of unlimited ar
lltratlon with Great Britain. France and
other countries and wish speedy success
with such treaties"
oscar 8 Straus. member Of the Hague
Court and former Ambassador 10 Turkey.
addressed the conference on Business and
International Arbitration" He said. in
part:
The commercial snirit while II IS com
petitiVe. Is not a militant spirit. for. in It's
final analysis, foreign commerce rests upon
mutually. and 2 wealthy and prosperous
nation IS much better customer than
poor nation. The commercial spirit, there
fore. from enlightened self-interest. favors
the promotion of prosperity in other
tons The only apparent exception 70 this
modern spirit Of commerce Il 70 be found
In relation 10 trade with Oriental nations,
where there Is a tendency on the part OF
the great powers 10 establish spheres or
influence and 70 force special concessions
and exclusive privileges 10 the detriment
~ competing nations.
America again has come 10 the forefront
in insisting upon the "oper uuor' In China
and in other Oriental lands. The American
policy which was so felicitously character
lied by Secretary HAY as that Of the Mon
roe Doctrine and the Golden Rule Is an
international policy Of the highest equity
and Justice. and IN should ever he our vigi-
LIANT care that these two parallel purposes
Of our national policy in foreign affairs
should not be so construed as 10 become
incounDatfhle in guarding our continental
interests and our pos Ceful relations with
the nations Of the world
II is largely due 10 the vast extension or
commercial intercourse between nations in
our times. which rest upon reciprocity that
the standard Of public morals has heen
lifted from the lower sphere ~ interna. .
tiOnal eXpedienCy 70 the higher sphere or
moralifv and law The standard Of inter
national morality vet continues 70 lag far
behind the standard Of commercial fair
dealing within nations. the evidences or
this are no more glaringlv exhibited than
in the exceptions in the laws of neutrality,
which rest not on principle but on legal
casuiStrv
As the law now stands II Is entirely law
ful for the subjects n neutrals 10 supply
hellieererfs with arms and ammunition az
we'll rs by public subscription or otherwise
raise loans 10 aid helligerents vet The TACT
that such loans can legally No contracted
not only makes war possible. when other
wise either or both helliGerents WOuld No
nravented nv economic necessities from he
ginning a war. or when begun from pro-
longing IT, THE Russo-JapaneSe War would
certainly have come 70 an earlier end Z
neither helligerent could have borrowed
money from the subjects of neutrals
n requires no argument 70 prove such
acts are against the fundamental prlncl
pies ~ real neutrality. ana No more praC
teal work can he undertaken in the pro
motion Of peace than 70 hasten the day
when such contra band commerce and loans
VIII no longer be considered lawful