New-York tribune., 1918-05-05
Hun GeIehrt.
Begin to See
the Light

that the German professo,.
political science and intr-.
tional law are beginning to show 4 :,
spirit in the treatment o. questions 5.
cerning treaties and international ,;.kA
These professors have much to ar.-
for. 1t will be recalled that ahont
score Of them brought out a joint IN.
fully justifying" the sinking Of q.
"Lusitania" "from the standpoint q il
ternational law" And before the
not few of these political nnraa.
taught the doctrine that might m.l..
right, that the state can do no un..
and thus prepared the way for dealh.
with treaty obligations as scrapx !
paper. It was freely taught that u
treaties are valid only so long az =
cumstances remain unchanged, and a.,
each state must judge for itself wheth,,
circumstances have changed.
But now a different spirit begins !.
manifest itself. DR.. Erich Eyck, vrt.
ing in the paper already named. ind.
Gates that the breaches of internat;on.,
law in the early stages of the war vs,
so numerous that people began to ,ess
at it as "an illusion of the day befoe,
yesterday, just about good enough stiV
to keep up a ghostly existence in q.
books of unworldly professors"
But it was the practical statesnn
themselves who were the first to feel and
admit the necessity Of fixed Iaws b.
tween nations; they spoke first of inter
national arbitration courts for adiust;nc
differences between states; it was thw
who demanded that right should consort
with might as an equal factor. Ewi
says that the views laid down by Count
Czernin regarding international leml
arrangements would have been laughed
at only few years ago as the fantay
of an incorrigible idealist.
He finds that the idea of internatiunl
courts Of arbitration has quite recenfy
found strong support among the poiik.
cal science professors of Germany, Pm
fessor Schuecking, of Marburg, has n.
peatedly expressed himself in favor d
them. Even Professor Zorn, of Bonn
one of Germany's representatives at lie
SECOND Hague Conference and a mud
very conservative tendencies, has n
Gently given his support to such inta.
national arrangements. Also Professa
Won List, of the University Of Berlin
not long ago brought out little book
under the significant title: "From Tia
League of States to a Community d
Peoples" in which he strongly favon
the process denoted by that title.
But two more elaborate works have n.
Gently appeared, dealing with this and
other international law questions ON
is by DR.. Leonard Nelson, professor d
philosophy at Gottingen, and bears the
title: Political Science Without (ths
conception of Right; the other by Pro.
fessor Robert Redslob, of Rostock Uni
versity, showing historically the progress
of the world toward the development Of
universal system or league Of STATES
which shall guarantee the observance d
international law.
Leonard reviews the teaching Of some
of the best known German writers on H.
ternational law and theories Of h
state, and shows that they have all bea
led into error and self -contradictan
through their failure to make the idsa
Of right the foundation Of their systens
Of international law. Especially does b.
attack the view that "the state, as being
the only criterion of right, is to be TIE
sole judge in extending or limiting hs
validity of its treaties The doctrine
that treaties are valid only so long =
circumstances remain the same is ~
terly rejected. If this doctrine shous
prevail, he says, then the theory OF ~
would correspond all the more completet
to the practice of the nations in proper
tion as these drop all moral considsa'
tions and give the reins to their lust ~
power, in proportion as the violence Oh
trickery of the strong triumph over ne
weak.
Professor Redslob is ready with
practical example to show the wcsn
what can be done in the direction 9
creating league of nations He tass1
the confederacy of the Swiss cantons =
such an example, shows how it came lha
existence as necessary arrangem"'
for removing strife between its comp
nent parts, and how it developed iron
loosely allied group Of cantons into =
present firmly united federal state q
Upon this model, says Redslob, sn0as
! be constructed the Ieaorle of Europee