Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-08-17
VISCOUNT BRYCE
SEES ADVANCEIN
STATE MORALITY

Wililamstown' Mass, Aug. ls-T1.
belief that although the adra.'
state morality had been SLOW 80
regular a real advance can h. u
cerned,' was expressed bs vi.o. W.
James, Bryce in a lecture az n
stitute of Politics here tonight "a
condemned the want Of co,..,
that still keeps state moralirv rs
than the standard applied IN ;n0
viduals." "u
Can we admit" he asked a.,
states as against one another a.,
better than wolves. that ranac,,r
guile and remorseless force aro a
ways to stalk like roaring ia
through world in which the ys'
Will ever be victims of Iii, s,r.
IF one tries TO think wha, sh.
be the principles OF conduct "a.
state it is easier TO name thine.
may not do than to lind positive -.
cepts for its guidance. Perb,ns
much as this may be said
state must never break its n,ioh,4,
faith. 1t ought not 10 deceive nv a,
mouths of its ministers or eny,~
1t ought not to rob its Leirhhnr.
make unprovolled attacks upon t,..
II ought not when it has yanonissl
them, to take revenge upon The
Discussing secret diplomacy. In..
Byrce said:
There is a strong case for cham
ing a system which has yielded h..
results in the past. and democraor
is not consistently democrats. II !;
leaves its fortunes in the hands a, y.
few persons who pledge it bsfo,,
they have consulted it. Secret agra
ments have frequently turned on, N
for those who made them.
yet there is something to he s.u
on the other side. 1t must be admit,
ted that foreign negotiations can M.
be conducted and the executive ,o,,
as they require can not be determi,
ed by a popular assembly or eve,
by a deliberate council too large 70,
familiar discussion. nor indeed hv
anybody whatever constantly sittirs
in public. The masses of the nso,
pie do not in any European countrv
know enough of foreign countries n
enable them to form sound opinions
in particular crisis.
Nevertheless there result from
time to time certain broad and com.
paratively simple questions on
" hich the people ought TO lie con
suited before any irrevocable step !,
taken.
The first thing and the indispen.
able thing needed to enable n.
people to control those large issues
of foreign affairs which they ought
to determine is to give them NOR,
knowledge and more continuous
active interest.
When the selfish man is mean
and heartless, others avoid him. But
when the rulers of state 10 wrOlg
OF behalf of the state, unless the &C,
turns out to have been a blunder Ia
perpctrator may even be praised BIZ
his own countrymen.
When an individual refran
from violence or fraud, he does 50
knowing that law anu public Opin
, ion will impose d like restraint Oh his
antagonist. But if a nation treats ss
enemy state fairly and does 10 NOR
harm in war than the customs o.
war allow. what security is thyf.
that the enemy may not be trckng
it and breuking all the rules Of n
in his effort to destroy its troops and
Sevastate its territory?
These latter considerations 60 a
long way not only to explain the dis.
regard by states of the rules reCog
nized as needed to govern the rea
tons of citizens to one another and
OF governments 10 their own CIT.
Gems. but to pallliate some at least O.
the departures from ethical prince.
pies.
The advance iii state morality has
been SLOW and irregular. Yet whel
we compare our own century witt
the hfteenth century real advance
can be discerned. apparent not ony
by the acts which states refrain to.
day from doing, but by the condem.
nation which acts now receive which
would in the fifteenth century have
excited little surprise.
We can reasonably hope that 10
time states may be brought up to The
standard of Greek philosophers like
Plato or Epictetus. and from tha!
level MAY after a few more centuries
be lifted still further towards III.
Christian ideal of fraternational good
will"