Washington Journal., 1914-12-12

/ MG N1NG UEEu dUlt " GUGuu do UluCI
as $3.50, 900 goo a year to take care OF
our workmen giving them a compul
sorry insurance against sickness and
invalidism, accident and old age,
pensioning widows and providing for
orphans. Every German employee
earning less than 5000 marks a year
can with a degree of security look
forward to a comfortable provision
for himself and for the people dear
10 him when his W forces fail. We
pay yearly more for this social work
than we ever paid for our army.
And our productive and inventive
genius has not suffered. | do not say
thai Germany's civilization is superior
to that Of England and France; ii
certainly is superior to the civilization
Of any Of the other warning nations.
We have been able to give our people
4 primary and technical education OF
the first order, and that in turn has
led to the perfection of scientific work
and to inventions that are q comfort
10 all the world. Germany stands in
the first rank IN applied science. be
it in chemistry, or electricity, or in the
perfection of medicines. With iusi
pride the Germans provide a great
many absolute necessities of life to a
very large part OF the world. While
he population has increased fifty per
cent, the wealth Of the nation is now
unproductiye, based on actual facts.
These ~antagonistic to our nation say
t has created a warlike spirit. and
that such a spirit by itself is a danger.
This warlike spirit is generally shown
by people going to war; and yet of
all the European peoples Germany
alone did not do that.
The case Of Belgium is frequently
cited as proving Germany's reckless
warlike s irit. 1t is said we have
broken wantonly most solemn treaties,
and therefore we ought to be punished
for it. The question as TO the right
so far as obligations under treaties
gG-has been decided by nearly all
nations ia the same spirit-namely,
that no nation can bind itself by a
treaty to it's W destruction, just as nc
Individual q so bind himself by con
tract; that the national interest super
sedes the international interest, and
that treaties are closed on the basis
Of circumstances existing at the time
they are made, and that therefore they
are not binding when those circum
stances change.
Treaties That are Not Binding.
England, who claims to have gone tc
war On account OF the breach Of
Belgium's neutrality, has never hest
tate1 to break her obligations when
ever she considered doing so of para
mount interest. She has done so in
this war any number of times. There
is a treaty OF peace and amity between
Germany and Portugal, which is to be
broken on England's bidding. There is
the Triple Alliance, which is to be
severed at English solicitation. Egypt
is a sovereign state, where the rights
Of the foreigner are guaranteed by
solemn pledges, yet the Khediye had
to Danish the German Minister and
even the judges of the mixed tribunal
ct England's command. China is a
neutral country and bound to the open
door policy by international treaties
she has been invaded by the Allies in
breach OF these treaties. Morocco has
pac,s binding England as well as Ger
many. regulating the rights of the
foreigners; yet the German diplomatic
representative has been chased out of
the country.
When Sir Edward Grey expounded
he European situation before the
English Parliament he cited Glad
stone in regard to Belgium-Glad-
stone, who said that the maintenance
Of the obligations of a treaty without
regard to changed circumstances
was an impracticable, stringent prop
ositicn to which he could not adhere;
and when England seized two Turk
ish dreadnoughts on the Tyne on
August eighth, she proclaimed the
fact with the following words: I'm
accordance with the recognized prin-
ciple OF the right and supreme duty
to assure national safety in times of
war France has been doing the
same in Morocco; and Japan, when
she sen to the German Consul in
Mukden-a Chinese city in Manchuria
his passports, acted en- the same
principle, leaving aside all her other
infractions en- Chinese treaties and
rights.
This is sad and does o portend
well for the permanent peace by ar
rangement CT international affairs
through treaties; yet it seems that it
cannot not be helped. The United
States Supreme Court says in a
Judgment rendered in 1889, written
by Judge Field. expressing the
unanimous conviction of the whole
court: circumstances may arise
which would not only justify the Gov
ernment in disregarding their treaty
stipulations but demand in the inter
est of the country that it should do
so. There can be no question that
unexpected events may Call for a
change Of the policy Of the country"
This judgement was handed down
when the Chinese were excluded from
the United Statesin violation of a pre-
vious treaty which had assured them
the same rights as United States citi-
zens. and Che United States has acted