New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-30

presented in the case OF the Italian occupa-
ton OF Italian ports on the shores OF the
Adratc. And this difficulty-whioh in part
at least is democratic-is still further com.
plicated by the fact of another tradition or
theory mainly diplomatic, which Is this: That
the nations of Christendom do not form So
ciety with definite obligations, one to the
other, with their independence limited by
those obligations, just as the independence
of the individual in society within the stat,
is so limited.
The political or diplomatic fiction insists in.
stead that the nations are a mere coneourse OF
sovereign independent groups" whose SOW.
creignty can, account, be impaired for the
purposes Of civilized life in common. II 10 pure
fiction, of course, and the attempt to maintain il
results in most grievous sacrifices both Of
ereignty and independence. Thus the United
States, though sovereign and Independent" and
at peace with other sovereign and Independent
states (say Holland Sweden), is not allowed
to have trade intercourse with those states,
by the grace and at the discretion Of and in
conditions imposed by third party, say Great
peace. So little is the United States or any other
neutral state in independent that they
have come to accept it as an international ar
rangement that any predominating belgcrent of
any which happens to be raging shall abso.
lutey dictate the conditions Of their commercial
intercourse.
But there is further fact which stands in
the way of national groups living as sover-
eign and independent units, and that is that
the national unit does not coincide at times
with the geographical unit; the different
groups may occupy the same river valley the
same port, the same street.
But this will be noted: That wherever
people have liberated themselves from the
diplomatic fctons, from what Mr.. Loves
Dickinson has called the governmental
mind" they have not found the other diff
culties insoluble.
Where a people have arrived at really demo.
cratic conception of government, a conception
of government, that is, not the power to rule
other men or groups, but as the cooperation for
mutual aid between men and groups, the pres
cnce of different race or language within the ono
political unit presents no real difficulty.
1t is the case of Switzerland, where Italian,
German and French. groups live together
without it ever occurring TO any that they
must dominate the others or are oppressed
by them. There is no desire on the part OF
the Swiss-Itaian for reunion with the
fatherland,' though less democratic Italy
might conceivably one day start on crusade
to rescue" their brothers" from the Franco
German yoke" Of the Swiss Republic.
In the same way, it is possible for a nation
to occupy territory which blocks sea-access
OF another nation occupying the hinteriand
without damage to that other. II is the case
of Holland, which, for the best part OF CEN
fury has occupied both banks OF the Scheldt
at the mouth, but has so far sacrificed It's
Sovereignty" as 20 bind itself by treaty TO
keep open the river for Belgian commerce.
And the fact that the Dutch straddle the
mouth OF the river, which is the approach to
Antwerp. constitutes no menace 10 Belgium.
Something similar occurs in the case OF tho
Danube But it will be noted also that these
arrangements work in the case OF small states
not bitten with dreams OF national expah-
SION" nor possessing the power to reahIe
those dreams if they had them. 1t wouid
seem indeed. that the power to realize them
is of itself sufficient to give rise 10 them
How far WiH the piCtOrious allies
be guided by principles 'phlch
might spell improvement, ana hop
far wiH they refuse to apply meth
DDS which in the past have Spelt
disaster?
That is a question no man can answer,
though we all have it in our power TO some
extent. however small, to influence the an
swer which events shall give.
What have tried to DO here within the lin
its of my space is to indicate the factors in
volved-the alternatives that are possible.
Personally, l am convinced that only by in
ternational cooperation over very large
area can anything like constant Improvement
in the relations OF states be secured. Whether
any sufficient effort will be made to that end
and much improvement is perfectly feasible
if the effort were made-I cannot pretend
even to guess What know is that It should
be made. and would be made if Christendom
took It's larger human obligations seriously.
Myu~ ox N'S~<G