The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-25
International Parliament May Be In Sight

cerned dynasties. wars, frontiers. This
stage is dead. The rev Internal tiona1ism
deals with social and economical life.
The modern type or treaty is also of
changed type. 1t does not regulate the
interests of a couple of states; it deals
with world questions, and in 1t all states
are invited to join. Instead of ''Prag-
matte Sanction" we have now Geneva
Convention But the most vital feature
of the new internationalism - that 1t
has not been content with clauses and
paper regulations. It has begun to create
executive organs and to ensure that the
provisions agreed upon shall really come
into life
lnternationalsm is more and more in
oreasing its scope of subject and of ac-
ton. The first genuinely international
treaties regulated matters of common
interests, but left the treaty signing states
n control. That applied to the first
treaties of commerce. currency, weights
and measures sanitation, private law
post and telegraphs. Later we have per-
manent international bureaus with inter-
national officials, such as the bureau of
the Worlds Postal Union in Berne. the
Paris bureau of weights and measures
and the Geodetic society of Potsdam In
ternationalisn is pushed still farther by
treaties creating organizations which
stand practically outside the control of
the treaty states. Such organizations are
the international river commissions the
international finance commissions, and
The Hague prize court created in 1907
The European Danube commission Gre
ated In 1856 by the treaty of Paris is a
genuine independent international organ.
1t has its own flag, badges, civil and
military laws, and has power to inflict
punishments. The Suez canal and Pruth
commissions are also both international
and independent. Two hundred thousand
dollars q year in the total of the bud
gets of these international governments.
Finally, there is private internationalism,
in the shape of extra national organiza-
tions of professions and trades. In Eu-
trade has some international union.
The world is so interested in wars and
quarrels that it seldom realizes how far
its internatonalism has gone. Com
munications are almost entirely interna-
tionalized. This is natural, for it is the
improvement of communications which is
making possible Observation-Disclosures
tai Union is an universal in
stitution. This organization is the work
OF Germanys Postmaster General Stephan
who initiated ii 80 years ago. 1t has a
permanent bureau al Berne; holds qun-
quennial congresses: unites the postal af-
fairs of 63 states and LASS, 100000 inha BIZ
tants, and runs all this gigantic business
at annual cost of less than $25,000.
Bernse is also the headquarters of the
international Union of Telegraph direc-
ticns which was born in 1863 The union
regulates the telegraphic affairs of states
with 900 coo population, with an an
nual exchange of 400,000.0Oo kilograms. 1t
does a tremendous work. 1t has already
compiled a code containing 100000 words,
each of which represents a whole SEN
terrce. Communications are further inter
nationalized by the Wireless Telegrap ph
convention, and by the Central Bureau
for Railroad Transport of Berne which