Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-11-03

proves the utter inefficiency of paper
treaties when they are unbacked by
force; the utter folly Of those who be-
| lieye that these paper treaties accom-
| plish any useful purpose in the pres
ent stage of the worlds development
when there is no force behind them
and, finally, not merely the folly but
! the iniquity of making treaties which
there is no real intention of putting
| into effect. Turkeys treaties with va
rious European Powers explicitly guar
antee her integrity, and on the mere
technical legalties of the case no court
| of arbitration in the world could pos
sihly declare in any other way than
as against Italy and for Turkey if the
| lease at issue between them We're
drought to arbitration Turkey has
| all the protection possible to give her
lby paper treaties, and vet all of these
treaties thus guaranteeing her against
ACKNOWLEDGMENT. thus pledging the
honor of various great nations to
| guarantee her integrity, are not worth
as much as a single gunboat of the
smallest size the minute that II be
comes worth while for amy serious OPP
ponent TO attack her. If Turkey had
HAD a fleet which relatively to other
| fleets was even approximately az
strong as her army, no man of any
sense believes that the war would ever
have occurred. She had no such fleet,
she had merely the protection tire
| treaties afforded her; and the minute
the test came the treaties proved not
only utterly insufficient as "a substi-
tute for navy, but not worth the pa
1 1sFbiah Il,
passing. be it observed that this Was
quite as much because the treaties
promised too much as for any other
| reason.
1T would be not merely foolish but
wicked for us as nation To agree to
arbitrate any dispute that affects our
vital interest or our independence OF
our honor; because such an agreement
would amount on our part to d cove
| nent to abandon cur duty, to an agree
ment to surrender the rights of the
American people about unknown mat
| ters at unknown times in the future.
Such an agreement would be wicked
| if kept. and yet t. break it-as il un-
ldoubtedly would be broken if the oe-
casion arose-woulG be only less
shameful than keeping it, y self-ex-
Iecuting arbitration treaty of such Il
kind cannot be devised. simply because
| 40 such treaty that can be devised
will execute itself or will or ought TO
| be executed by the nation in time of
stress OF course the same reasons
| 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 Il
| given dispute of such a kind is JUS
| ticiable. or does or does not involve
| such questions and therefore should
or should not be arhitrated
| IF as people We wish to make a
| genuine advance. to promise what can
and will and ought to be done-instead
of merely making a pretense by prom
Using something Which will not and
ought not to be performed should the
occasion 10 keep the promise ever
larise-We should agree definitely 10
submit to arbitration all disputes
that do not involve the vital interest
the independercepr honor of the ma
ton. and we sl1oulG at tue same time
make provisions which will tend u
bring about pacific solution of all
disputes not covered by the treaty. To
this end provision should be insert
cd in such a treaty that if either par
~ To it claim that a dispute involves
its vital interest. its independence OF
its honor then always provided that
neither. party takes position that
necessitates immediate action by til,
Iothei9. upon the request OF either par
| ". all questions of fact and all ques-
tons of law involved in the DISPUTE
shall be referred to arbitrators. who
shall have no power To decide the dis
pute, but shall be authorized to pass
upon the controversy as to questions
of fact and of law. and to recommend
such adjustment of che dispute as
they may deem Just and honorable t.
| both the contracting nations. The rec
lommendation OF the arbtrators should
then be given publicity, and unless
rejected within a specified time by on
or other of the contracting parties lin
the case of the United States this
would mean the President and the
Senate or perhaps the President and
Congress- should become binding up
on both
This would s. cure, in the first place
DELAY for adequate consideration ot
the questions AT issue. and. in the next
pace, d calm and dispassionatc dis
; cussion of the controversy before the
civilized world; further. the eIifnina
/ ton of questions of fact and of law
from the controversy: and, finally, il
would make il easier for govern
i ment to accept a fair solution of Il civ
en- controversy if there had been pop
ular prejudice against such solution.
Some such plan as that herein sug
gested, if enacted into treaty, would
really forward the cause of interua.
tional peace and yet would leave the
nation arbiter of it's own destiny and
would promise nothing which could
i not he performed, having regard boil
to the vital question of national honor
and. above all, to the still more vita
question of national duty. on these tive
i questions If duty and honor the ma
ton. if true to itself. can never bt
guided by any outside body. and car
pay heed only to its own conscience
and It's own sense of right; to fail thu.
to be guided would mean that it wa.
recreant to its duty, not only to itself
but to the world at large.