The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-02-23
Congressman HamiII's Stirring
 Argument Against Peace Treaties
aOted New Jersey Orator Points Out Where Agreement Instead Of Assuring Universal Peace Would Make For More DiStWbanCe-FidmiII To Speak In This City,
 Sunday Evening, March

peace treaties so called was made up on the floor of the national house ot representative by Hon. James A HamiII, the distinguished New Jersey congressman who has been engaged by the Emmet club of this city tc deliver the annual oration at the Elm met anniversary exercises Sunday evening, March 8. at the Poli theatre
 Congressman Hamin made g thorough study of the provisions ot tho proposed covenant and his argu- Tnent against it is conceded to have been one of the ablest delivered in Congress His contention that the
 make for universal peace is the view that Is held by Roosevelt and other thinkers Of international repute.
 Congressman HamilliS address fol lows:
 MT. Speaker: On Monday before last tho gentleman from Missouri (AIr. Bar fholdt) addressed the House on the subject of universal peace. Az I pro- pose to take exception to some re- marks the gentleman then made, am s1ncere'y sorry he is not present to hear what have to say. I dill gently attempted to find him by tele- phondng for several days to his office, and on each of the days on which I telephoned ' searched for him on the door of the House. I learned after wards that he is on hi5 way to Europe 50 that it was impossible to get him
 
 egting remarks he referred to the ar bitration treaties now pending in the Senate, and expressed the hope that the Senate would at once proceed to izat1fy them So strong was his de- sire for immediate ratification that he V even submitted form of resolution to be opportune and wise for this House to adopt.
 Afr. Speaker, I fully concur in the 1audable desire expressed by the gen Ar.rl ventIy hope the Utopian day will soon arrive when swords will be beaten in to blow shares and spears into prun- Ing hooks, and the nations of the den of maintaining immense armies
 me present arbitration treaties, rection- On the contrary. they would, if ratified, become a fruitful cause of trterrupting and eventually destroy tion8 as now exist. A very fair way of showing what would be their prob able and expected purpose Is found in the. utterances Of those best suited to
 On the 18th of last March Sir Ed ward Grey delivered a speech in the English House of Commons. Sir Ed ward Grey Is the English secretary for foreign affairs. and hence speaks wtth authority for the English Govern ment The speech refer to was made a V naval armaments, and while defend ing the retention Of ESngfand's two power naval standard, the greatest menace to-day to the peace of Europe. he welcomed what he was pleased to call President Taft's proposition for arbitration, and in regard to 1t then continued:
 The nations that made such an agreemept might be exposed to attack from a third power. This would prob ably lead to -their following with an agreement to join each other ins any case where one of them had a quarrel with a third nation which had refus- ed to arbitrate. I do not think that statement of this kind made by man in Mir. Taft's position should go with
 These words bear but a single i'm , terpretation. The circumstances in which they were employed make their ! a speech opposing proposition to reduce naval expenditures. They were preceded by a speech in the same be- half made by Reginald McKenna- sec retary for the navy CFHirst Lord of the Admfralty.) in which that official re- peatedly asserted that Eng'and's req ] son for building DreadnauEhts is to keep ahead of Germany. They mean that this arbitration treaty is consid- cred 7as.-the first step in an alliance for war-an alliance which shall pledge the resources of the American Govern ment to assist foreign nation in the 1, event of European war.
 How are the treaties regarded in France? We can gather a good under | standing of the use to which they may ! be put by consulting the Figaro an in- duentiaI French Journal. which au- thorfta lively reflects the sentiment of the country. A cable from Paris, dat ed August 3, the day the FNranco-Am- erican arbitration treaty was signed, contains the following:
 The Figaro, in a long study of the resulting situation, declares that if other nations do not join the move Inent those who have pledged for ar bftra ton should adopt the principle of boycotting, by inserting a clause in the international agreements providing that they shall suspend all relations , of commerce, transportation, and pos tai intercourse with any country war ring upon one of the Signers. For ex- ampe, the paper says, that If the , ain should boycott Germany by re- fusing all relations with her, the ac- ton would be certain to cause the confusion and ruin Of that nation. ''By boycotting,' the Figaro adds, i've will obtain obligatory arbitration, and then the delimitation Of all armaments."
 VIII anyone undertake to say that such action would not irreSiStibly pro- yoke war? If, then. the same con struction can be put by the French upon their treaty as the British sec retarv for foreign affairs puts upon the En EIish pact, we are at any time likely to find ourselves engaged in European hosti'ities without even the necessity of declaring war.
 All treaties entered into heretofore have excepted from their scope uues- tious of vital interest and of nation aI honor. These two reservations have ever been considered ma tiers which no nation could wisely place in the field of arbitration. These treaties inau- gurate a departure, and 1t is well worth contemplating what results such 7. 0ra-rse could lead to.
 s7<sz1Id the American people allow ar t@5ration on questions arising under e r~-s.rne dnctrine2 The peace ad- TCGates, so called, have studIously avoided reference to this probable eff feet of the treaties. but according to the press reports of Sunday, August IF, Secretary Of State Knox, who as- sisted in drawing these documents. ad- n1itted in his argument before the Sem ate Committee on Foreign Relations the possibility of questions involving the Monroe doctrine being submitted to arbitration. The next day, however, according to a press report purport-