The Washington times., 1915-10-04
PEACE, AND AFTER


probably will be settled by Europe,
without the aid Of the United States.
If the allies win, they will dictate
the conditions, and should Germany
and her allies triumph, they will
pronounce sentence upon their enc
mics. Lacking a decisive victory by
either side, the United States may
be petitioned to assist in the settle
ment.
British as war Is, it would be
criminal for it to end without a def
mite determination Of the issues
which precipitated it. In these, the
United States has no part, and there
is no likelihood that this country
will be asked to assist in the final
composition Of them. Americas
more genuine interest lies in the in
ternational conventions which will
follow the peace congress to partici-
pate in the framing Of a new code
of law for the nations, to strengthen
the loose constitution of the society
of states. W.
If the war is fought to logical
conclusion, it is improbable that an
other will spring from it in the
present generation. The various
belligerent peoples will have had
enough Of it, and such questions that
may remain unsettled will be left to
the future. Each generation decides
for itself whether it shall wage war.
Not the least problem Of the peace
makers and world conferences will
be to make war less desirable, to
create institutions for the adjudica.
tion of all justiciable disputes, and
leave war as the last resort.
The Thirty Years War, brought tc
close with the treaty of Westpha.
liz. in 164s, really ushered upon the
world stage the law of nations as il
is understood today. It abolished the
principle of one dominion for nations
and recognized their independence
and equality. One often hears il
these times that there is no inter
national law, but people who be
lieve that, fail to distinguish be-
tween the existence of law and it!
violation. Germany struck at tn,
very heart of it when she ravishee
Belgium. Sir John Eliot, an emf
nent parliamentarian of the time o.
Charles I, declared that men VIII,
went about breaking parliament
were in the end broken by them. S,
with nations: those which make ,
practice Of defying the constitution
of the society Of nations will, in tn,
end, be broken by that society. Ger
many has won some tricks in thi
war, but she has not won the game.
1t must come to pass that tn,
municipal laws which safeguard life
liberty, property, and the pursuit o
happiness shall be extended into tn
domain of international law. Wha
has proven beneficial and WHOLESOME
between communities will be equall
acceptable as between nations. Tn
customs and practices of men be
come the rules of conduct of states
The prime need of world societ
is q tribunal with competent juris
diction to settle justiciable dispute
between nations. The question O
sovereignty need not and must no
be involved. There are already i
existence some fifty public unions
the most notable of which is tn
Universal Postal Union, which in
volve neither the sovereignty nor in
dependence of states. Self-governin
colonies participate in the Posts
Union. Disputes are regulated b
arbitral judgment, decisions bein
rendered by an absolute majority Q
votes.
There needs to be organized
judicial union. 1t would not posses
the power to execute it's DEGREES, bu
neither has the United States ST.
preme Court such power, and Justic
Holmes has said that some of tn