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Show 112 113 He is a rash man who will now contend for a battleship or an tion is willing to arbitrate, then all such matters everywhere in appropriation for the purpose of making war on another nation, Such a proposition would find no support in times of peace. "by will men not learn that our strength lies more in edu- cated conscience, in the world's great moral nt. ll"""m Hu lllllliil. and intellectual forces, than in phy‘ical forces represented in battleships and in armies and navies," If our Congress would within the next year expend the cost of one battleship in teaching our people the value of peace and arbitration it would thereby more nearly establish permanent peace than by the erection of four or even twenty battleships. If the civilized governments of the world would expend a portion of their military and naval funds thus till the minds of tlte youth are filled with a love of peace instead of being inflamed with a passion for war. the world's security against this monstrous evil would soon be established. Can our statesmen not see tlte hand upon the wall? Do they not know that a conference of forty-six nations for the purpose of in some way finally establishing peace. and an adjournment to again meet to further advance this end, must result in such friendly relations and acnuaintanceship that war equipments are less important and the cultivation of international friendships of much more value? The Second Hague Conference, which was suggested by President Roosevelt, called by the Czar of all the lx‘ussias and actually convened by the Queen of the Netherlands: on June 1;, 1907, was the most important world meetingr ever held in human history. First of all it was a meeting, and the first meeting, of all the civilized nations of the earth, assembled to discuss the great subject of universal peace. They were in session for four months. If nothing else had been accomplished, this fact in itself would still have been one of the most momentous in history. But it did more than meet and discuss questions touching inter- national peace. It confirmed and strengthened all which the con- ference of 1899 had established. It took no backward step. In this conference it was agreed that no nation shall have recourse to armed force against another nation for the purpose of collecting contract debts without first offering to submit the matter for arbitration to The Hague tribunal. If the debtor na- the world must be arbitratcd. They can no longer anywhere be the basis of war. Here is a step accomplished worthy of the world's applause. Again, it was agreed that no unfortified city shall be bombarded. So now in time of war if a city does not wish to be bombarded by the enemies' guns, she only needs to save herself the cost of expensive fortifications. But by far the most important convention adopted by the conference was that of establishing a permanent court of arbitral justice. While this court was not actually formed, all the assem- bled nations agreed that it should be established; and there is no doubt in the minds of those most thoroughly posted on the subject that it will he established before another meeting of The Hague Conference. Such a court differs materially from the court of arbitration which the former conference inaugurated. The former court has no permanency and consists in fact of only a list of eminent gen- tlcmen from whom arbitrators may be selected. hit the latter when established will be fixed upon a basis as complet' and per manent as any of our state or federal courts. Judges will be selected for the purpose of trying international disputes. and their time will be devoted wholly to these matters. They will establish a code of procedure not unlike that to which litigants in other courts must conform. It will be in fact a great international court dealing exclusively with international disputes, an appeal to which will take the place of the former appeal to arms. The fact is, my friends. you are today standing much nearer the period of universal peace. than most of you had dreamed would be reached by your children's children. \\'heu you and all other good citizens take, a stand against war and determine that international disputes shall and must be submitted to arbitration for settlement; when there is a united resolve that the yellow journals, the jingo statesmen, the money lenders and all those whose voices are first in war but whose persons are always at a safe distance from it, shall not govern in national crises, then will the great movement for permanent peace and world disarmament go forward toward final success. l.et each citizen who believes in this movement freely express |