The Washington herald., 1912-01-31

n
thing cannot be denied ana will never
be denied. that this administration has
been celebrated above all things for its
devotion to the great millennial cause Of
universal peace The President of the
United States is the great peace PresiS
dent OF the republic, and one who repre-
sents him here, who is a member OF his
Cabinet. has been not only his friend, but
his very right arm.
LaudatIon of Knox.
THE hand which guides the destinies
of the Department of State has been the
hand which has written the treaties and
has made the delicate strokes Of dIplo-
macy which has immortalized this ad-
ministration, I speak from the ranks of
an opposite party. and my sincerity can
not be challenged. The treaties and the
oYertures with foreign countries have
been traced and handled by the delicate
hand Of the Secretary OF State. When
the treaties which he has draw shall be
supplemented. as they will be by others
Of even greater Importance, they Will be
traced to the hand of the gentleman who
is the first speaker here tonight.
Gentlemen of the Press Club, in
troduce to you the Secretary OF State"
secretary hnONS hODnys
After a feIicitous, and at the same
time facetious, acknowledgment OF che
toastmaster's speech OF introduction, the
Secretary Of State Immediately put spurs
to his famous hobby. Peace" saying:
The subject to which my mind most
frequently recurs. which I believe to be
the definition OF a hobby, is one which
has engrossed some of the greatest and
noblest minds, and it can fairly be said
at present to be most conspicuously ana
practically championed by the distin-
guished chief whom ] have the honor
now to serve: my own relations to it be-
ing that of trying TO be useful TO one
who is more useful I'm the great task of
endeavoring, as far as possible, TO bring
about the peace Of the world.
The subject is inspiring to me because
/ conceive the peace or the world to be
condition of the world in which the
fabulous sums that are expended for war
will be employed for the Improvement OF
humanity and the advancement Of the
arts of peace; a condition in which bat
tie ships and bayonets will be converta1
into stationary engines and harrow teeth,
and the genius and science now construc-
lively employed upon devices Tor the de-
struction of human life will be engaged
in studying the physics OF the air and the
chemistry OF the soil, so that man Will
surely reap where he has sown ana the
harvest will be multiplied hundredroId-
Depends on Recognition.
Peace among nations is a status de-
pending for its existence upon the recog-
milton of each others rights and a will
ingness to be just. A great statesman
declared that the respect for the rights
of others is peace Respect for the
rights Of others involves a willingness to
submit the question of their existence to
judicial determination where they cannot
be conceded. ..... ... ......-. .
What the United States is pressing
upon the world through the proposed Per-
manent Court OF Arbitral Justice and the
pending treaties with Great Britain and
France is that differences as to national
rights shall be determined according to
the principles OF Justice.
The treaties are the concrete express
sion of the three great nations concerned
of their intention to do justice where
wrong has been inflicted or p right with
held by referring their differences to The
Hague court or some other tribunal
They are first steps toward the goal of
peaceful adjustment Of all international
differences, not by a mere arbitration, but
by a final judicial judgment in a perma-
nent international court Of justice TO
which all nations will habitually resort.
Urges Permanent Court.
THE solemn assertion of highly civil
Iized nations that war is not to be re-
sorted to as a means for settling their
future differences obliges them to pro-
vide other means to that end, and un-
erringly point to the speedy establish
ment Of a permanent court to which ma
tions may submit their differences with
confidence. And when they agree, as be-
tween themselves, to refer to judicial
decision all their justiciable differences |
the foundations of a permanent court of
Justice are already laid.
1T has been suggested that the treaties |
with Great Britain and France should |
contain a provision that we should, in |
addition to agreeing to arbitrate the DIFF |
ferences between the parties to the |
treaties, likewise agree to arbitrate diff |
ferences with other nations not parties |
to the treaties. This is exactly what the |
United States has proposed to the world |