OCR Text |
Show ()8 99 torv arbitration. and declared that certain disputes~those, for instance. arising in the interpretation of treaties-may be submitted to obligatory arbitration without restriction. The only Followingr the address of Dr. 'l‘rueblood. Chairman l'aine introduced Dean "7. 1'. Rogers. of the Cincinnati Law School. cause of disagreement on this subject was tlte unwillingness of one or two powe‘s, notably tiermany. to agree to sign a treaty of obligatory arbitration with all the ])()\\'t 'lfing l‘hnuw mum The Dawn of Universal Peace . the less advanced as well as the more advanced nations. 111 this matter, therefore. the Conference can hardly be said to have failed. The solution of the problem was so nearly completely successful that one wonders how there was any failur ‘ at all. lt seems perfectly certain, therefore that the day is only a little way off when the nations will carry out completely in practice what they have most cordially and unanimously agreed to in principle, and that a general treaty of obligatm‘y arbitration, pledgingr the reference to the Hague Court of all disputes except those involving the national life, will speedily be placed on the statute books of tlle wot‘l l. The high-water mark of the Work of the Second Hague Conference was reached in its action in regard to future meetings of the Conference, The principle of periodic meeting s of the cons ference hereafter was approved without a dissenting voice. The date even of the Third Conference was fixed and the governments urged to appoint at least two years in advance an international Commission to prepare the program of the meeting. This action means, if approved by the several powers, as it undoubtedly will be. that we are to have hereafter regular meetings of a \Vorld Conference. The powers of the Conference will at first he only advisory. but in the very nature of the case its conclusions and rectimmendations will be very largely adopted, and in this way it will. from the very start. be substantially a leg ative world assem- bly. lts powers will naturally grow and be extended. Here we reach the real position which the peace movement has attained. The promise. therefore. is very large for the yea ‘s just before us; for when the nations meet representatively at regular periods, and men of the highest ability and experience discuss in a friendly and frank way all of the common problems of the world, the days of war will be numbered. the great armaments which now burden and distract humanity will tumble to pieces. and the era of univer- sal and perpetual peace will have begun. it takes no large vision to see this {'I‘eztl consummation realized at no distant time. DEAN \VtiriAM l‘. Romans \Ve are to be congratulated upon the fact that the distin- guished Secretary of \Var pays to us the signal honor of acting‘r as president of this Congr even though he is not able to preside at these meetings for peace. There is thus suggested to our minds the fact that in the absence of war his appropriate title is the Secretary of Peace. a title which for unbroken numbers of years would be found suited to his great office. The fact that this meeting of the National l'eace Congress occurs at a time when the Limited States Congress is in special session struggling to malte such a revision of the tariff laws as will produce funds large enough to prevent the continued deficits which have been shown in the recent reports of the 'l‘reasurer of the linited States is a coincidence of much importance. \\'e are thus permitted to receive information direct and fresh from sources which at other times would be difficult to acquire, and when secured wouh l seem less pertinent than now. \\'e may also with sortie ct‘intidenee hope that a discussion of such questions as the cost and CCUHtillllt' waste of war and war equip ment will at this time meet an already awakened public sentiment and will more readily find a response than at arty other time, \\‘hen the daily press is filled with reports from important congressional committees showing the enormous appropriations made for naval and military affairs in times when we are at peace with all the world and when large headlines attract our attention to the criticisms from the leading United States Senators on the spending of more than $ttx).('uio.oot) annually for our army and nearly oneshalf more on the navy: when "our increased battles ship policy" is seen to impoverish our treasury to such an e\t:-ut that a popular uprising against it is apparent. delegates to :1 cont e‘ress of this l{lll(l may indeed talte courage and hope hr the progress of the cause which they represent. The past year has been pregnant with important evtuts tend |