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About The Hesperian / (Lincoln, Neb.) 1885-1899 | View Entire Issue (March 15, 1892)
THE H E S P E R I A N . 0 tk 'The war-dium throbs no longer and the battle tines arc furl'd, In the parliament of man, the federation of the world." After the applause for Mr. Winter had censed Mr. Shiles appeared. He was entirely at ease, and spoke in a delib erate and forcible mannei. lie was peihaps too deliberate to suit the audience, but not too deliberate for the style of the oration! He appealed directly to the audience, and did not attempt to make pretty gestures or to show what he could do with his voice. Mr. Sk lie's oration was . 1'actor ok rr.Acr.. Law is a development. Whether it be municipal or inter national, time is. the great fmtor in its formation. The law of self preservation was the only law recognized in primitive times. Family warred with family; community with commu nity. Man was revengctul- bloodthirsty almost as the beasts that surrounded him. To be a stranger was to be an enemy. Hut as families and communities expanded into states, a long step was taken in advance. The individual found protection, but many years were yet to clrpsc before nations ceased to look upon each other as natural enemies. War was the rule, peace the exception. Prisoners of war were slaughtered by thousands. Property, whether public or private, was at the nicrcy of the conqueror. Such was the condition of affairs as late as the middle of the seventeenth century, when Grotius gave to the world his "Laws of Peace and War." The barbarous practices of the thirty year's war were still fresh in the minds of men. No woi.dcr, then, that an attempt to regulate some of the harsher usages of war was hailed with general approbation. The influence of Grotius was so great that he has been called the founder of international law. The seeds o( this system were sown long before his time, yet it was not till then that its principles began to be recognized. From that time its devel opment has been rapid. Now what has this system accomplished since its origin that it should be called a factor of pence? When Grotius looked aronnd him, he saw, that on every river and on every sea, men might, and did, come into conflict; that property and life were daily and uselessly sacrificed to gratify the greed of kings and princes. The state was everything, the individual nothing. A short time before Grotius, Pope Alexander VI decreed that all those parts of the world not then in secure possession of any Christian prince, should be divided between Spain and Portugal. As a result of this degree, Spain claimed exclusive dominion over the Pacific ocean and the Caribbean sea. What a transformation since then! The right to exclu sive dominion has long ago been abandoned. International law has driven the wedge farther and farther, until to day not only ever)' sea but ever)' navigable river of importance, has become the common highway of all nations. Privateering and the African slave trade are forever abolished. Prisoners of war are treated as human beings, not enslaved or shot down in cold blood. The whole sphere of international lnw h& been broadened so as to include many nations of the eastern as well as of the western world. The interests ol nations are to-day so interwoven that no injur)' can be inflicted upon one that docs not injure all. Nations arc learning that they, as well as Individuals, have moral obligations. Society is organized urftm a basis of commerce instead of a basis of war. Founded upon the ruined hopes of the pope and the decay ing power of inonnrchs, international law has enlisted the aid of commerce, democracy, and Christianity, the three great est forces of the world. Docs any one doubt which way these f trees arc tending? They arc the products of pence, not of war. Science and philosophy arc hastening to join these three great forces opposed to war. Did any institution or practice in the histoiy l the wbrld ever withstand such forces? Does any une doubt the fulfillment of the true mission of interna li'V.ul law the aboliti n 01 war? Intei national law is founded upon the law of nature, and the law of nature is the If w of peace. When imperfect tights arc violated, inleinationd law pro vides means for avoiding war. Nations whose perfect lights aVe threatened, take up arms only becnusc this law proves no other remedy. What else is needed to make internation.il law a guarantee of peace? Plainly, an international com t. Why may not nations be bound together like the states of this union, leaving each nation in absolute control of its domestic affairs, while the central, or international, government con siders questions of general or common concern? Plans for a federation (f this sort have been proposed by such cmiiunt men as Hcntham, Kant, Field, and Lorimcr. No instantan eous creation such as they outline will answer. This couit must be developed gradually. Its needs must first be rccog .nized. Combination and unification arc the characteristic forces of modern times. International conferences, conven tions, congresses are now t f yearly occurence. At these meet ings new rules and principles of international law arc discussed and adopted. May we npt discern in the rough outline of these meetings an international court in embryo? Are nut these 'conventions and congresses the vanguard of morcpeima ncnt organizations? It is said that international law cannot be enforced. What greater force does any institution or system need than the sanction of natious? What is it but public opinion that upholds municipal law? The murdetet stajs his hand ihiough fear of popular indignation rather than through fear of the scaffold or the prison cell. In general what is true of an indi vidual is true of a nation. The time is near at hand when the nation that dares proclaim war will bring dawn upon it the condemnation of the world. But doc the actual condition of European affairs point to the speedy abolition of war? On the contrary wc sec these great powers preparing for war on a grander scale than ever before. Science is daily employed in inventing and perfecting more deadly weapons of destruction. Then is there no hope for the future? Neither Europe nor any other country can long withstand such a strain. The four millions of men with drawn from industrial pursuits arc sapping out the life blood of the nation's resources. The competition in industrial pur suits is becoming so intense that this unproductive class must soon be reduced to the lowest possible number. Industrial and other forces will, in time, compel nations forever to aban don war as a means of settling disputes. It is the mission of international law to gather up and unite these forces in one great current a current that shall be strong enough to sweep away every obstac' in its onward course toward the "goal of peace. Let the grcu ,uantitie.s of powder collected for the destruction of hum i .ivcs be used to blast out the hidden treasures of the . a. Let the great battle ships that stand as a menace t a peace of the world carry these treasures, unimpeded by restrictions or prohibitions, to every state and nation. Let the battles of the future be fought in the council chambers, with right and justice the only weapons of warfare. When such a consummation shall be realized, when the "kindly oarth may slumber lapt in universal law," let the nations of the earth tear down the motto, "Might makes Right," and raise instead the banner emblazoned with the words that proclaimed the coming of Christ, "On earth, peace, good will toward men." War will never be abolished by reason. Turn back through the pages of history and you will find that reason at all times has .stood powerless, its weak voice drowned hy the clash of arms and the roar of battle. Tut reason behind law and cour-
