Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-14
Or. Lyman Abbott Addresses
Delegates to Lake Mohonk
Conference.
SAYS DUTY OF NATIONS
is TO PROTECT CITIZENS
Talk Interpreted as Reply to Ameri-
can Peace Society. to Which He
No Longer Belongs.

| MOHONK LAKE, y. Y. May IA
| Three hundred delegates to the nineteenth
annual Lake Mohonk conference on inter
| national arbitration, heard DR.. Lyman Alb
bott of New York. presiding as chairman
| of the opening session today, assert that
disarmament was as yet a utopian dream,
that the blow of the fist, the gleam OF
| the sword, the bark of the cannon will
continue until some other power greater
than that of armed man is found to pro-
| tect innocence from injustice
Dr. Abbott's address was interpreted
as a reply to the American Peace So
| cety. his fellowship in which was re-
| Gently severed.
| Lasting worldwide peace may be Sc
| cured only by establishing worldwide
/ justice: armaments are necessary until
i that day, in the opinion of DIR. Abbott.
| who also took occasion to criticise the
| United States for annulling the treaty
| with Russia. and referred to the recent
/ anti-alien bills passed by the California
| legislature as an example of American
/ unwillingness to live up to distasteful
| treaty. He said. in part:
Worse Things Than War.
Christians have not stood and ought
not to stand for peace at any price. They
have recognized and they ought to recOg-
nze that there are worse things than
war bad as war it. 1t is quite possible
to pay too high a price for peace. Our
fathers would have paid too high price
if. in 1116. they had bartered liberty for
peace. The generation of the civil war
would have paid too high a price II. for
the sake of peace. they had allowed the
country to be rent In twain and a great
slave empire to be founded. extending
from the Ohio river TO the Gulf of Mex
leo, and perhaps including Mexico and
Central America.
More progress has been made toward
world peace in the fourteen years which
have elapsed since the first Hague con-
ference than was made in all the years
which preceded. Why? Because the
movement has been one not prima rily
for international peace, but primarily
for international justice. Enduring peace
is possible only when il is the fruit of
justice.
When plan for securing justice was
proposed that promised to avoid the
tragedy of war, mankind began to
listen- The proposal is nothing less
son for the appeal to force. Before
this substitute can be successfully
adopted three conditions are necessary.
Conditions That Are Necessary.
There must be developed in the civil
lized nations a sense Of justice strong
enough to overcome race, religious and
national prejudices;
This interna tional conscience must Gre
ate some permanent tribunal which can
give it official and authoritative express
sion:
"And there must be developed in every
nation such a sense of honor that, hav-
ing once submitted question to this tri-
bunal. it's decision will be accepted not
perhaps without criticism. but without
resistance or serious complaint
We had treaty with Russia. We be-
lieved that she violated that treaty in re-
fusing to recognize our passports when
issued to American citizens of the Jewish
faith. We should have proposed to Rus
sia TO submit the Interpretation of that
treaty to The Hague tribunal. Instead of
50 doing. We. with passionate haste. an
nuled il.
I'VE made a treaty with Great Britain
in which agreed that all the vessels
of the world should have equal ad
vantages in their use of the Panama
canal. Great Britain thinks we have vio
lated that treaty III eXempting cOastWise
vessels from canal tolls. Some of our
ablest lawyers are of the same opinion
Yet, unless vigorous measures are taken
TO arouse a public sentiment in favor of
submitting the Interpretation of that
treaty TO the Hague tribunal il is prob
able that the controversy between Ameri-
ca and Great Britain on the subject will
remain unsettled. provocative of aliena-
ton and dissatisfaction both sides of
the Atlantic
Takes Up the Alien Land Law
I'VE made a treaty with Japan granting
certain privileges TO the japanese The
state of California. without waiting for
consultation with the japanese people and
without consideration for their feeling.
,i..l,
nese seems a violation of the spirit Of
that treaty. and there is danger that. as
| the result, the friendly relations between
/ Japan and America will be seriously i'm
| paired
1T cannot be too strongly affirmed
| :hat it is worse than useless to make
! a general arbitration treaty, and then
when any conflict arises which arouses
popular prejudice and excites popular
clamor. disregard our treaty obliga-
tions OH the ground that it is either
not conSonant with our interest or
| TO a foreign tribunal The greatest
peril today of the peace movement.
| which seeks 10 substitute an appeal to
| reason for the appeal TO force. is not
! the limitations upon our general arbi-
! tration treaties. 1t is our failure to
carry them out when international con-
| troversies arise.
Government Must Protect Its People.
America is one of the rightest coun-
| tries on the globe. Make it also one of
| the weakest. and it would invite as
sault. II is the first duty of a govern
| ment to protect it's people in the enjoy
ment Of life and liberty. If it fails to
| afford such protection ii has no right
| TO exist. America. therefore must have
an army sufficient in size equipment
! and efficiency 10 protect its citizens
from violence at home and navy suf-
ficient to protect its coasts and its COM
| merce from attack and to enable it 10
take its share in the fulfilment of
those world obligations which belong "a
all the civilized nations of the earth.
We can establish peace only by estab
fishing justice. To do this we must b.
| voice and pen develop in the nation q
/ public conscience which will demand tn.
fulfllment of arbitration treaties alread,
| made before undertaking to make Other
/ treaties still more general: We must seel
| 10 develop u public sentiment in tn,
| civilized nations OF the world which viii
botn create tribunal for the establish
| rne:t OF international justice and Deace
| fully enforce its decisions: and until tina
| is acc0mpiis hed. and the appeal 10 reason
| is accepted D. our own people and til.
peoples OF the world as a real substitute
| for the appeal 20 force, We must main