Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1917-11-09
WORLD WILL OBEY
INTERNATIONAL LAW
The Hon, Frank c, Partridge Traces
It's Future
Dream Was Almost Realized When
German Defiance Brought
Chaos

German Defiance brought
Chaos
There was a time not many years ago
when the subject international Law
was 70 the popular mind almost purely
academic, but since IL is international
law that most Of the civilized world Is
fighting 10 establish and maintain, In
principles are b coming 10 the man In
the street almost as clear az village
ordinances governing his behavior,
The Hon, Frank c, Partridge former
minister 10 Venezuela, and now president
of the Vermont Marble Company de-
liyered a. the Charter Day exercises at
Middlebnry College last week an adj
dress which brOughtto an exceptionally
clear focus the development Of inter
nilonalsm,
The Register would commend the fol-
lowing extracts from hi. address 10
those who would be familiar with the
situation, and with the hopes which we
may cnt rtain for the future.
Mr. Partridge spoke In part as fol-
lows;
The growth Of international Law Is one
OF the last phases IN the evolution OF
society The Greeks did not admit the
equality OF other nations the rest Of the
world was barbarian, Roman dominion
became worldwide, but 1t did not rccog.
nlZe any international rights simply the
supremacy OF Roman authority. Nor
were the dark ages calculated to develop
international law II really had is be.
ginning IN the 18th century with the
writings OF a Dutch publicst commonly
known by the Latinized name Of Grotius
He was the first TO attempt to formulate
rules Of international intercourse based
on conceptions Of Justice and the essen
tial independence and equality OF all
sovereign states, A century and a half
ago Lord Mansfield said, and how much
truer II is now, that international law is
founded upon justice, equity, conven'
fence, the reason OF the thing and con
flrmed by long usage
The part OF the United States in the
development OF international law is a
much more conspicuous one than is gen.
orally understood In these days we hear
much Of the freedom OF the seas. The
United States, even in the days OF its
weakness was the first great defender OF
the seas, Our intrepid Commodore
Decatur forced the Barbary States to
agree by treaty TO respect the peaceful
commerce Of this country. Until then all
nations had submitted to their piracy or
paid them tribute. We fought the war OF
1872 with Great Britain in protest against
its claims OF right to search our ships and
impress our seamen Our final course in
the Trent affair during the Civil War was
based on our historic position in this re.
gard One Of our warships had forcefully
removed from an English merchant ship
two representatives of the Confederacy
Public opinion in this country strongly
defended our action but Mr. Seward
frankly acknowledged that it was con.
trary to that freedom Of the seas for which
he had always commended, and surrendered
Mason and Slidell.
The law Of neutrality which We have
heard invoked so often the last three years
owes much to the efforts OF this country.
In the wars between Great Britain and
France after our Revolution both parties
NllluNl lDOh " lOlA K VI VI dM Us llllO lllt
struggle The French minister assumed
to fit out privatecrs within our territory
and otherwise to use it as a base of opera.
tons. Ideas with respect to neutrality
were very i'll defined, but Washington's
administration in spite of hostile public
sentiment laid down certain rules which
ought to regulate the action of a neutral
country and the position then taken was
the real foundation OF the law of neutral
ty. Our foreign enlistment act in 1878
was virtually a codihcation of the whole
law upon the subject. Those proceed.
ings of the Udited States" says an eminent
English writer, from 1893 to 1918 marked
an era in the development of the rights
and obligations of neutral powers"
AT the beginning of 1914 the authori.
ty of international law seemed more
strongly established than ever before,
there had been two international con.
gressess at The Hague and a third one
was about to be held Arbitral tribunals
had been established A scheme for an
arbitral court of justice had been agreed
upon and only lacked a method of naming
the judges. Treaties of general arbitra-
ton had become universal. AT last it
seemed as if the world would turn its
swords into ploughshares and its spears
into pruning hooks.
Then suddenly at the end of July, al
most out of a clear sky, the present cat
astrophe came upon us. The one tran
scendent fact related to our present sub,
ject which stands out is this, that He 7oorM
is at 59ay not becaHJe Of any 5OeakNeN in Tie
aaebhd briHableS whiM oMgMh 5go5eyn in
HyRaiioHai relations Int 6e0He of a lax Of
authority To peacefully enforce them 7ohen a
great mutton aeHbtyaHH r@oi7eS to 5oholH
MWega,I their moral restraints. That from
the very beginning with manifest pre-.
meditation Germany has done.
Her invasion of Belgium was plainly in
accordance with long prepared plans. 1t
not only violated a solemn treaty but
apart from any treaty was wicked viola
ton of one of the most fundamental prin
ciples of the law of nations. The only
possible honest excuse was the utterly
immoral one given by the German Chan
Cellor in the Reichstag August 4, 1914,
when he said 1--WE are now in a state of
necessity, and necessity knows no law
Our troops have occupied Luxembourg and
perhaps already have entered Belgian ter
ritory. Gentlemen, this is a breach of
International law. The wrong speak
openly the wrong we hereby commit we
will try to make good as soon as our mill
tar,, oir,c bova haap attaina1" mr. nc tha