New-York tribune., 1921-12-30

any delegation questions this state
ment of existing international law,
You are all in favor of the principle
of the resolution if it is correct. Does
nations ss it exists? If it does. you
are all in favor of it. What, then,
hinders its adoption?'
Mr.. Root read again the brief prin-
ciples Of his Article ] and again asked
it there was any question as to the
correctness.
"Mr. Malkia." i,e said, turning to one
of the British legal advisers, ''is there
any doubt about that"
Mr.. Maikin replied that "in principle
there was no doubt at all"
proposing strict application Of the
rules he had set forth for submarines
as well as other naval craft.
The public opinion of the world
says" he said, chat the submarine is
not under any circums stances exempt
from the rules above stated. That is
negation of the assertion of Germany
in the war that if submarine could
not capture a merchant vessel in ac-
cordance with established rules the
rules must fail and the submarine was
entitled to make the capture The
public opinion of the cis.';' - world
has denied this and h.. ID its
! Judgment in the az tie
wer. 1t was tte ,rity
against the PC a Aat
led to Gerina,
z, My fris' isis is
| real ilfe go .e-s. This
Is h9 fer a COM
hNf a statement Of
aceio .,.isputed principles
uftF. a.d not open to dis
| cusai such form that it may
crystai ne public opinion of the
world, that there may be no doubt in
any. future war, whether the kind Of
action that sent down the Lusitania
Is legitimate war or piracy.
| I'VE cannot justify ourselves in
separating without some declaration
that will give voice to the humane
opinion of the world upon this subject,
which was the most vital, the most
heartfelt, the most stirring to the con-
science and TO the feeling of the peo-
pie OF all our countries of anything
that occurred during the late war. /
should be ashamed to go on with this
conference without some declaration,
some pronouncement which will give
voice to the feeling and furnish an op-
portunlty for the crystallization of the
opinion of mankind in the establish
ment OF rule which will make it plain
to all the world that no man can COM
nit such an act Gas the sinking of the
Lusitania) again without being stigma
tized as pirate"
League Rejection Recalled
Mr.. Root briefly rehearsed the rejec
ton by the assembly of the League of
Nations of the proposal of the ad-
visory committee of jurists assembled
by the council of the league that "a
conference for the advancement of in
ternatonal law" be created.
The door was closed" he said:
where do we. stand? Is this not to
be 2 world regulated by law?"
The speaker said there was no ade-
quate Ia" to govern subm ayines, air
ctaat or poison gases and somebody
must move" His resolution, he said
proposed to restate "the rules of war
That have been tramped under foot.
houted and disreg egarded"
is there delegation here" he con-
tinued, that can afford to go back to
IT'S own people and say to them, upon
the proposal being presented to US we
referred 1t to q committee of LAWYERS
and adjourned'?
= am rot going to be buried under
committee Of lawyers myself' and
these rules cannot be buried under
them. Either we speak clearly and in
s,elHgioly the voice of humanity which
mas sent US here, and to which we
must report, or that voice will sneak
for itself, and, speaking without US.
VIII be our condemnation"
.Mr. Root said he opposed reference
OF the resolution "to committee of
lawyers or to any other committee. !"
said.
Sir John Salmond, for New Zealand,
also opposed reference to legal COM
mittee,, but warned against haste. He
pointed out that, Tread literally"
paragraph three OF Article 1 would
mean that even merchant ship which
refused to stop when signalled by a
submarine could not be attacked until
her passengers and crew had been
placed in safety. He also said that
as proposed eventual substitute for
Article until Mr. Root had explained
its purpose.
Lodge Supports Root
Senator Lodge declared that "sim-
lplicity of statement" was the first aim
In reaffirming the rules of warfare and
that the Root resolutions accomplished d
that object. He supported Mr. Roots
argument and opposed reference to a
legal committee, saying there were in
the delegations those able to put the
statement as to submarine rules in
lproper form.
"Wnat ! should like to see done by
the conference" he said, ais to decide
on policy-vwe can easily take care
|of amendments suggested.
This policy has been presented and
will not down. The world to-day wants
an unequivocal declaration against the
sinking of the Lusitania. know the
lOpiniOn Of NV country
What will be the alternative il we
fail TO reach this decision? We shall
leave the door of uncertainty open
to the tyne of man commanding the