The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-07-22

each case that IL American women
/ were raped and American men MUIR
| dered. as has actually occurred In
Mexico, or American women and chill
dren drowned on the high seas. as IN
the case OF the Gulfight and Lnsitania.
or II foreign power secured and for-
titled Magdalena Bay or the island OF
st. Thomas. we would appoint com
mission and listen 10 a years CONVEX
saticn on the subject before taking any
action.
England and France entered into
THESE treaties with us and we begged
Germany to enter into one, and al
though Germany refused, yet, II we
were right in entering into them with
i. England and France we deprived our
selves OF moral justification in refus-
ing TO fulfill their spirit as regards
Germany.
Under these treaties, III the Lusi-
tania had been sunk by a French OF
English submarine, we would have
been bound to appoint commission
to chat over the matter for a year
before we took action: n one of our
ships is at any time thus sunk by a
submarine of either of these nations
we are at present by treaty legally
bound to take such action, and. of
course. IL ii was morally tustifia Bile
to enter into such treaties with Eng
land and France, II was morally OBJ
ligatory upon us to apply the same
principle in our dealings with Ger
many.
"yet, while the ink upon some of
those promises--for treaty is moth
ing but a promise. was hardly dry
we declined to apply the principle,
that is fulfill the promise in the case
of the Lusitania We thereby made It
evident that our entry into the thirty
all-inclusive treaties had represented
either national hypocrisy on our part.
or else an utter recklessness OF folly
in making promises without taking the
trouble to consider what they were
and whether they ought or ought not
to be kept.
Favors Reputation.
Personally ! believe that IL was
absolutely necessary when the concrete
case arose 10 repudiate the principle
to whit., we had thus committed our
selves. But II was a shameful thing
to have put ourselves in such post
ton that Il had to be repudiated, and
1t was inexcusa bile of us to decline to
follow the principle in the case OF the
Lusitania without at the same time
making frank confession of our error
and misconduct by notifying all the
powers with whom we had already
made the treaties taat they were with
drawn. because In practice we had
found II impossible and improper to
follow out the principle to which they
committed us.
I'm the same way, let the individuals
who advocate disarmament say clearly
just what they mean. III this nation
is TO disarm, that is. If il Is to take
the old Chinese attitude about pre-
paredness for war. then 1t must be
prepared to adopt the Chinese attitude
of helpless submission to any condi-
tons which foreign powers choose TO
impose.
IF our people wish TO Chinafy the
country, of course they can do so, and
the most effective way to do SO is TO
disarm. But before they enter on such
course of conduct, let them be SURE
that they have no illusions as to what
IL will entail.
1T is because we ought not to make
any guarantee that we cannot fulfill
that do not believe the present time
oportune for starting movements 10
secure the peace of the world by the
establishment az an internationl court
with the promise to back UP its de-
crees by force.
Our experiences at The Hague show
that IL is worse than folly to enter
into peace conventions, arbitration
treaties and the like unless force is
put back OF them. But before agree
ing to put force back of them. let us
be absolutely sure that we mean to
carry out tae agreement. Cerainly
at the present moment every sign
points to the fact that we would not
carry out such an agreement.
To form world-league for peace
under which we agreed to back up by