Evening star., 1916-01-02
TaIcott Williams CounseIs
Preparation for World Issues
Following Europe's War.
SHOULD AID IN ENFORCING
THE PEACE OF HUMANITY
But Unless American Nation Arms,
He Says, It Will Be a Neg
ligible Factor.

Unless the United States arms itself
and becomes world policeman 1T will
be a negligible factor in affairs after
the European war is over. according
to Talcott Williams, director of the
Columbia University School Of Journal
ism. who delivered an address before
a section of the Pan-American Con-
gress last week on How Can the Ju-
risdiction of an International Tribunal
Be Enforced?'
mo such power as will emerge from
this war has ever existed" said Di-
rector Williams. "a United States,
armed and ready to act on new re-
sponsibilities and to play it's part in
the worlds peace, can turn the world
toward some agreement for the joint
enforcement of international law. neu-
tralization and arbitration. An un-
armed United States, not ready to dis
charge its duty to the peace of human
ity. will be negligible in the new or
ganization of Europe or become its
prey. With the armed force of Euro
pean civilization. and one might add
Asiatic. today divided into two oppos-
ing camps and commands, neither yet
visibly the victor, the question as to
how can an international tribunal en-
force its jurisdiction? really turns in
this situation on whether the United
States. by arming, awakening to its
duty and changing its past policy, will
become as efficient an instrument in
the worlds peace. as does the good
citizen when the sheriff calls.
Involves a Surrender.
This will involve a surrender of its
cherished separation from world is
sues outside of the western hemis-
phere, a surrender like that when our
various colonial settlements were con-
solidated into separated colonies in the
seventeenth century and into one ma
tion in the eighteenth. now in the
share in keeping the peace of human
ity by some joint action with other ma
tions which will recognize and accept
the new duty of the use of force to
enforce the Jurisdiction of an interna-
tional tribunal
He said further:
Until the greater countries or a Wig
orous majority Of the greater countries
agree to use force, neither information
al tribunals nor peace will be more
than dream. vision, kindly hope,
a friendly desire, to be broken at any
moment by brute force, offensive or de-
fensive. Only a world force can bring
a world peace and enforce the jurisdic-
tlOn OIL an tIlDundl, De-
cause only such force can bring
world righteousness and world sub
mission to law.
Whatever agreement might be
made, II even a substantive share of
the greater armed nations. like Rus
sia, Germany or Austria, primarily be-
lieving in force, or an unarmed share
of the greater nations, like the United
States. believing in peace. public opin-
ion refuses to agree to use force to en-
NJ INT ffrSv,
Tribunal. no treaty can be more than
scrap of paper when force comes
no naturalization stronger than the
forces that defend it, no arbitration
can act on any save those voluntarily
submitted.
Defines Strength Of Contract.
This is Inevitable. No contract is
stronger than the court which enforces
it. Not life, not person, not property
are any one of them safer than the po-
lice, the army and the people that in
due succession keep the peace Of the
people. Divine Righteousness rests on
divine authority. The peace of God
that passeth all understanding rests on
a power that passeth all understand
ing. The peace of humanity can come
only through the power OF humanity,
exercised by nations to make war more
perilous than peace.
ance, rests on the kings or peoples
writ, which assumes the willingness OF
men to obey the law: this writ rests
on the sheriff, his authority on the
power to call, as a posse comitatus, on
every able bodied man in his jurisdic-
ton to suppress resistance. and the
posse rests on the armed force OF the
realm
SHERIFF" Nearer Than Supposed.
This sheriff is nearer than most
know or understand. Two issues were
Joined at the opening Of this war
First. was the Serbian government in
volved in a corrupt and violent con-
spiracy, which ended in the death OF
the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand, and
second, had England and France al
ready violated the neutrality Of Bel
gium, as the Teutonic League charges
or was the Teutonic League about tc
violate 1t without cause. as France
England and Russia charged, the In
lternational posse comitatus was toe
evenly divided to make war more perl
/ lous than peace and international ar
bitration safer for all than interna'
tional conflict.
.The United States might and prob.
ably could have made peace safer than
war for all, but the American people
was not ready. 1t was not armed. and
Its public opinion was not educated
If II had spoken. 1t had no armed force
If there had been an armed force. th<
American people would have con-
demned its use on an European issue