The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-11-04

Judgments Of the law are made square
with the moral Judgments of man
kind. For believe that we are GUS
todians of the spirit OF Righteousness
OF the spirit Of equal-handed Justice
of the spirit OF hope which believes In
tho perfectibility of the law with the
perfectibilitv of human life itself
Public life. like private life. would
De very dull and dry II 1t were not
for this belief in the essential beauty
Of the human spirit and the belief that
the human spirit should be translated
into action and into ordinance. No;
entire You cannot go any faster than
you can advance the, average moral
Judgment Of the mass, but you can
"a at least az fast as that and you
can see to 1t that you do not lag be-
hind the average moral judgments OF
the mass. ! have In my life dealt
with all sorts and conditions of men
and | have found that the flame OF
moral judgment burns just as bright
in the man of humble life and limit
ed experience as in the scholar and
man of affairs. And I would like his
voice always to be heard, not as a
witness. not as speaking in his own
case, but as II he were the voice of
men in general. in our courts of JUS
tee. as we'll as the vote. OF the law
yers, remembering what the law has
been. My hope is that, being stirred
to the depths by the extraordinary CIR
cumstsnces of the time In which we
live, we may recover from those steps
something OF e renewal OF that vision
of the law with which men may be
supposed to have started out In the
old days of the oracles, who commune
with the limitations of divinity
Before this war very few nations
paid any attention to public opinion.
France was probably the beginner.
Some twenty years before 1914 France
began TO extend her civilization to
Russia, Italy, the Balkans and Syria
The very fact that the belligsrents
tried to mobilize public opinion in the
United States in their favor shows
that 1914 was a milestone In interna-
tional affairs. This was the first time
any foreign power ever attempted to
fight for the good will--the public
opinion--of this nation. The govern
ments themselves realized the value
of public opinion In their own boun-
dar.es, but when the war began they
realized that 1t was power inside the
realms OF their neighbors. too.
When differences of opinion dewei-
oped between the United States and
the belligerents the first thing Presi-
dent Wilson did was to publish all
the documents and papers In the pos
session OF the American gov~rnm ent
relating TO the controversy. The pun
lcity which the president gave the
dil fomatic correspondence between
this government ana Great Britain
over the search and seizure OF vessels
emphasized in Washington this ten
dency in our fore or relations. Al
the beginning OF Epgland's seizure of
American merchartr-en CARRYING car
goes to neutral European coursr- es
the state department lodged indiv.d-
uat protests. but no heed was nafd
TO them by the London officials. Then
the United States made public the ne
gotiations, seeking TO accomplish by
publicity what a previous exchange
of diplomatic notes failed to do
Discussing this action OF the presi-
dent In an editorial on Diplomacy in
the Dark" the New York World said: :
President Wilson's protest to
the British government Is clear,
temperate. courteous assertion of
the trade rights of neutral cour-
TT es IN time of war 1t represents
not only the esta blished policy of
the United States, but the estah-
lished policy OF Great Britain. II
voices the opinion Of virtually all
the American people. and there
are few Englishmen. even in time
Of war. who will take issue with
the spr>nc Pies uphslh by the pres
icent. Yet a serious m sunder-
standing was risked because It r.
the habit of diplomacy to operate
in the dark.
Fortunately President wilson.
by making the note public, rre-
vented the originni misund -
standing from spreading. But the
lesson ought not to stop there
Our state department., as Mr..
Wickcrsham recently pointed ont
I'm letter to the world, has never
had a settled policy OF publicity
in regard TO our diplomatic affairs.
No "biue books Or white books
are ever issued. What informa-
tion the country obtains must be
rried out OF the department.. This
has been our diplomatic policy
for more than century. and II
is policy that. IL continued. will
some day end disastrousIy.
Speaking in Atlanta In 1912, Presi-
dent Wilson stated that this govern
ment would never gain another foot
of territory by conquest THIS dis
PEELED Whatever apprehension there
was tnat the united states might seek
TO annex Mexico. Later. in asking
congress to repeal the Panama tolls
act OF 1912. the president said the
good will of Europe was a more valu-
able asset than commercial advan-
tases gained by discriminatory legis-
lation.
Thus st the outset Of Pre>id snt Will
sons first administration foreign pow
ers were given TO understand that Mr..