Evening star., 1914-08-15
ELIOT WOULD REMOVE
THE CAUSES Of WAR
Urges Elimination Of Fear of In
vasion in Letter to Car
negie Endowment.

Lied WoflQ might prevent the recurrence
Of wars, such as is now devastating Eu-
rope, by removing two of the principal
causes OF war are suggested by DR..
Charles w. Eliot president emeritus of
Harvard University, In q letter to the Car
negte Endowment for International Peace.
In this letter he refers to two passages
in his report on observations made fl
China and Japan during his visit to the
far east In 1917. These passages set forth
that although the causes OF war tend
to become commercial and industrial two
other worldwide causes OF war remain
which are liable to take effect al any
time. both In the east and the west" The
first Of these is fear Of sudden invasion
by an overwhelming force and the other
Is fear lest the supplies OF food and raw
material which come TO a country over
seas should be- cut of
Fear Keenly Felt in East.
Regarding the fear of invasion and its
proposed relief. he says:
This fear IS as keenly felt In China
and Japan as it is in Germany, France
and England; and there are no better de-
fenses against it in the east than in the
west The naturalization of territory
pean nations. like Switzerland and Bel
GUM. rests rather upon the mutual jeal-
ousy of the greater powers than on any
established practice among the European
peoples, or any trustworthy sense OF ex-
pedlency and justice.
The nearest approach in the east to
the practice of neutralizing territory is
the respect paid by the larger European
powers to the eastern possessions Of
smaller powers. Thus. England and
France are respecting oriental possessions
Of the Netherlands and OF Portugal; |;
and all nations are now respecting the
outlying possessions of Japan.
Whether the eastern possessions Of
western powers will in the future be
transferred from one nation to another as
conflicts-as they have been in the past
Is a problem for the future.
Tho only hope in the east, as in the
west, for relief from this terrible appre-
hension of invasion lies In the progress
Of International law and in the spreading
better ways than war to settle interna-
uonal questions about territory, COM
mercial intercourse and sovereignty.
This is a region in which all three
divisions of the activities OF the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace are
nearly concerned-intercourse and educa-
ton, economics and international law.
Exemption Policy Gaining.
Regarding exemption OF private prop
erty from capture at sea as means Of
averting war. DR.. Eliot writes:
''Such insular countries as Great Brit
ain and Japan are peculiarly subject to
this apprehension: for either Of them
would be seriously distressed by even a
short interruption of its supplies of food
and raw material. Both these nations are
therefore obliged to maintain navies more
powerful than any likely to be brought
against them. Hence the immense bur-
dens of competitive naval ornaments.
"a remedy for this apprehension is,
however, In sight. The doctrine that pri-
vate property should be exempt from cap
ture at sea, as 1t is already exempted
from seizure without compensation on
land, WILL when adopted by few ma
tions which maintain strong navies. re-
lieve the nations adopting it from the
dread lest their food supplies and the
supply of raw materials for their manu-
featuring Industries should be cut or.
and the export Of their manufactured
goods be made impossible or unsafe.
"To secure relief from this recurrent
apprehension which prompts such exorbi-
tant expenditure on navies t would not
be necessary that all the nations of the
world should adopt the doctrine Of the ex-
emption Of private property at sea from
capture. Five or six Of the stronger ma
tons, adopting 1t and enforcing it against
all comers, could Immediately secure re-
lief for themselves. and for any other ma
tions that chose to join them in the adop-
ton Of the policy.
THE United States has advocated this
doctrine for many years; but an effective
adoption of It has been prevented by the
reluctance Of Great Britain to abandon
the practice OF selling upon the ocean pri-
vate property belonging to the subjects
OF her enemy.
There are some signs that Great Brit
ain is approaching the conclusion that she
has more to gain than to lose by the
adoption OF the policy Of exemption"