The Dominion. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1913. PEACE AND WAR.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1843, 1 September 1913, Page 6

The Dominion. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1913. PEACE AND WAR.

— —S "If the Kaiser summoned a Council of Nations, universal peace would be assured." These words were used/by Mr. Andrew Carnegie, at. The Hague Palacc of Peace in unveiling a bust of Sir Randall Cremer, founder of the International Arbitration League. The cabled account of the ceremony, which appears in another column, states that Mr. Carnegie went' on to say that "a small spark oft creates a- flame, arid the ICaiser the torch." One cannot help admiring the untiring efforts of Mr. Carnegie to hasten tho coming of the ideal e?e of peace and goodwill among the nations, but those people who are accustomed to look at plain facts with open eyes are quite unable to share his belief that universal peace is going to be assured by any council of the nations, whether it may be called by the Kaiser, the Tsar, or anyone else, however exalted or however sincere ho may be in his desire to usher in the new. era when war shall be no more. It is interesting to know , that "the Tsar hopes the Palace of Pcacc will contribute to the, cause he has always had at heart," but in this conncction one cannot help recalling the _ Tsar.'s famous Rescript of 1895; which was received with so much enthusiasm by the advocates of disarmament, and which accomplished so little in that direction. The nations, llussia included, went on increasing their offensive and defensive preparations, just as if nothing had happened. The Rescript declared that the time was "a favourable one for_ seeking by way of international discussion the most effective means of assuring for all peoples the blessings of real and lasting peace, and above all things for fixing a limit to the progressive development of present armaments." To such fine-sounding sentiments one might well think it would be impossible for anyone to object, but in France a section of public opinion showed a marked indication to take offence at tho proposal as indicating a possible breach of the understanding between France and llussia. However, the Conference suggested by tho Tsar was held in the following year, and though the results fell far short of what some people expected it certainly gave a very real impetus to the international arbitration movement. One outcome was the establishment of The Hague arbitration tribunal, to which a number of disputes have since been submitted; but the disarmament proposal was too big a matter for the Conference to deal with in ah effective manner. All that -the representatives could agree to on this_ point was a non-committal resolution to the effect "that the restriction of military budgets, which arc at present a heavv burden on the world, is extremely desirable. for tho increase of the material and moral welfare of mankind." It was quite impossible then, and it is equally impossible how, to go much further than this. No matter how widely the sphere of arbitration may be extended, there must remain certain questions of such vital importance that no Power dare take the risk of submitting them unreservedly to any Court in the world. This means that unless and until a wonderful change comes over human nature the possibility of a resort to force must always exist, and in order to be ready for this possibility every nation must bo in a position to meet force by force should the need arise. This is the attitude of the British Empire. We desire to live at peace with all our neighbours, but wo cannot rest satisfied unless we are strong enough to protect our world-wide interests on land and sea against any enemy or probable combination of enemies. The British press, in commenting upon the ceremonies at the opening of the Palace of Peace, does not appear to think that the era of universal peace is any nearer than in 1898 when the Tsar's famous Rescript was issued. The Times, it is true, states, in effect, that The Hague tribunal has done some good work in the past, and has a useful future before it; but the Daily News is more pessimistic, and points out that the world still believes in the sword more than in treaties, while the Standard openly laughs at The Hague ceremonies. In the course of an article entitled "The Great Hague Joke," it refers to the matter as a "polite piece of humbug." This is unduly harsh criticism, for there are many minor disputes which it would be a senseless crimo against humanity for nations to fight over, and such a tribunal as that established at The Hague may do very valuable work in peaceful settlement of such difficulties, besides holding up the noble ideal of right before might in international relationships. But it is folly to imagine that the Kaiser could abolish war at a stroke by calling a Peace Conference,, and Mr. Lloyd George's idea that those who control the operations of international finance can prevent nations from tighting in not much more feasible.. jFiuOaw ia of courao a my impor-,

tant factor, but, as the Morning Post recently remarked, "experience shows that in comparison with the force of national jealousies and ambitions, it has no more strength than cobwebs." The financiers of Europe did their best to prevent the recent Balkan War, but in spite of all their efforts there have already bcei'i two wars in that restless peninsula, and the possibility of a third is not yet passed. Even the peace-loving Chancellor of the Exchequer has lately admitted' that Britain dare not indulge in "naval 'holidays," and the British Government is now endeavouring to '."speed up" . its shipbuilding programme. Germany is doing the same, and both France and Germany have just decided to greatly increase their military forces; while, according to a cablegram which we print in this issue, the Duke of Bedford is demanding that the British Army should "be placed on a more effective footing. So it must continue, and rulers and statesmen with words of peace on their lips must go on unceasingly making ready for battle.