The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 1912. WAR AND PEACE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 74, 26 March 1912, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 1912. WAR AND PEACE.

For the auae thai tteka nnmtiMmm, For the m*mg that need* resieta%oe, For the future in the distance, And tie yood that we cam do.

Tho TJ\. and PjV.—in full, the Internolioral Arbitration and Peace Association —has taken a bold step in deciding to present to Uie next Hague Peaoe Conference a petition signed by many millions of peoplo of all racus nnd countries protesting agoinat war, and advocating the eubatitution of some peaceful means of settling international disputes. The movement has been takeji up enthusiastically by tho Auckland branch of tho associdtori, which will diecußS the matter iit its meeting on Thursday, and wo have no doubt that it will commend itar.li to the sympathetic attention of a large fection of the people of Auckland. TUough we have frequently had occasion to differ from the Peace Association in regard to military training and national defence, \\u aro entirely with it as to the desirability of I'liminatir- wir wherever this

ia practicable. Tbo*o wno sign such a pciition will .lot commit tbenisulvas of necessity to any Rpccial course of procedure, which if the Hagti* Conference adopt* these proposals wouH bo naturally left to. its discretion. But as a means of formulating an emphauj and woriu-aidi-

prot<t«t ajftinst «::r. aud cnnepntraliflg in

eflecUvQ forat Use refuignaiM-r with which cltdlSsed comuwm'fir" natarally r<rg«.rc! it, this petition secnui to u» wtjl worthy of wrioufl and it will doebtlMs Siicare » lftfjjo measurf of public support in Kbits country. Thf- prt'-:-iae wording of the r«titioa wJiJvii is v.tyv? being circulate , , is a maltrr of c-onnid(u-i»b!« interest. The »igkatoriee respectfully re<ju«tt Iho Peace Oonfcrencf —which U to uwt at the Hague in 18U or 1015—to arrange n (■•■ric'-i of intcrnationa.! conrentior.e "by virtue of -which oil nations shall mirtually pledge themselves that any diange concerning tho autonomy aa.l torritorial integrity of any nation shall Ixs hrought about csc!usiv«ly by trcaiUes to be concluded with the voluntary consent of all nations concerned in any given case; secondly, to adjust all other international interests also by treaties us far as possible, and to refer difficulties which may ariae frocn thetw other interests and are not settled by diptomatK- negotiation.'* to an International Court of Arbitration, pledged to respect tho above guarantee pertaining {.o the nations* autonomy <md terriUxn.ii wjtcgrrty." It will be observed that question* affecting the "autonomy and territorial integrity" of every nation are specifically reserved for «ftttlcmcnt -with that nation's 'VolnnUry consent. ,. All that tfce Hague Peace Conference ia asked to do is to recommend the Powers to adopt such methods of settlement. The- International Court of Arbitration would not deal with matters essential to tho existence or independence or honour of nations, but only with other differences, which, if not settled by mutual arrangement, would be uniformly referred to this tribunal for decision.

While -xc have- every respect for the sincerity aud enthusiasm ot tho advocates of uni*ereal peace, we still ventoro to doubt if any patriotic community will trver be prepared to submit questions involving its freedom or its national honour to the jurisdiction of outsiders. That is to say, we iwlievc that there always ■will be questions about which men in the last resort must fight rather than risk losing their case by arbitration. But -wo agreo entirely with the Peace •Association that it i* highly desirable to minimise tho opportunities lor lighting, aud wiurever possible, to substitute arbitration for war. At this time of day it us quito superfluous to onlargo upon the horrors of war and the terrible waete of human energy and wealth that it involves, and tho incalculcable misery that it inflicts upon the world at large. War i≤ the worst enemy of civilisation and the worst obstacle to human progress that mankind has to face. But it may still bo under soma circumstancee inevitable; and this is tho important truth thnt the Peace Association seems inclined to forget. Once admit the necessity in the lust resort for self-defence, and it 5s impossible, to avoid the inference that erery nation must prepare itself against the contingency of having to tight for ite existence. But inside these lunitsutiona there can be no doubt that the movement

in favour of substituting Arbitration for War is an admirable one, well worthy of the support of all civilized nations. And even if no delinite result were secured by this projected petition it would still 'be worth organising, if only to encourge tho3o who, against the dead weight -of tradition, and the almost irreisidtihle tendencies of unregenerote human nature, are struggling desperately to limit the scope of' War, and to -enreißankind from nil the 'unspeakable misery that it invariably,; bring* in it* train. .