"INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9325, 30 March 1889, Page 6

"INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION.

ADDRESS BY MR. W. JONES. An* address on the subject of "International Arbitration" was delivered at the Y.M.C.A. Rooms, yesterday evening, by Mr. W. Jones, a member of the London Peace Society. There was a large attendance. Sir George Grey presided. Mr. Joxes said he understood that no mean sums had been expended upon defence in these colonies, the idea being the protection against any possible invasion from some great European State. Russia had frequently been mentioned in that connection, so that it would seem they were in some degree interested in European complications. In respect to international arbitration, among the proposals that had been made was one of a treaty of peace by arbitration between the United States of America and England and her colonies. (Applause.) Initiatory steps had been taken in this movement, and in this regard he had received from an old and revered friend, John Bright, a very encouraging letter. That name just at this moment filled one's heart with inexpressible sadness, to think that those eloquent lips and that patriotic soul were now silent for ever in the grave, and that no more their hearts in the old country would be touched by his manly eloquence, nor their souls aroused by his patriotic enthusiasm. All was over ; but not his work. John Bright had done his personal work, it is true ; bub his loss was regretted nob only in the circle of his intimate friends. There was nob a poor man in the world, whatever his nationality or colour, who would nob be distinctly the poorer for the loss of that great and patriotic soul whioh had been taken away from them. Mr. Bright considered that the proposal of a treaty between England and the United States would be a grand step forward in the world's progress. This idea was not a visionary ono, as was shown by the action of 111 members of the French Chamber of Deputies, who had petitioned the Premier of that country to take steps to bring about such a treaty between Franco and the United States, The movement for the treaty between England and the United States had been interrupted by the Presidential election in America, but the great heart of the people of the United States was in favour of it. Once they gob the idea grasped by the artisan class, they would soon see the beginning of the end of the military system —of all the armaments which were crashing them, and all those great institutions by which they were surrounded. Mr. Jones then went : on to speak of tho bitter feelings of the people of France in respect of " the lost province;i" of Alsace and Lorraine, their desire for re venge upon tho Germans, and the resentment of the latter Vast preparations were being made for tho next war between these Powers—such indeed had been their preparations, so complete were their equipments, that ho actually failed to see how they were going to get at each other. This example wag followed by other nations in order to preserve the bftlanCO 01 power ; and with all this there had been a growing increase of national indebtedness. In every land in Europe the people had been pauperised and demoralised by the terrible burden of taxation caused by the military system. He thought there was precious little in this great scare about Russia. (Applause.) Bigness did nob always constitute strength, and though there was no Power with such opportunities for purposes of internal defence, there was no country so weak for active operations outside. At tho present) day the condition of the Russian peasant was worse than it was in tho days of serfdom—and all through _ tho curse of militarism. Mr. Jones described some of the scenes of misery and horror which he witnessed at the siege of Metz; these were the scenes of war — not war as described by their war corresponents or their historians, or belauded by their poets, bub in its horrible reality. Surely, ho might appeal to tho conscience and reason of every thinking man thab iu a God-governed universo there (

must be some better wav Tk. „ settling disputes between nation nation ' . The.-e was a better way tW.^ arbitration, which mado nobST°l widows, nor orphans, nor didffi' n<l behind it those bitter and rancom n « f ? i&22} w *> 6n the motion of Sir W. thanks was given to Mr. Jones, °< This proposal was seconded by Pmf««. Aldis, who remarked that the W 7* land Herald had from time to pointed out in strong langTMw»e fb« ,j 814 tages of arbitration over war H v^ n * always felt a deep debt of gratitude to thS paper for the way in which it had sLv on this subject. aa s P°ken The meeting closed with a vote nf ft, '~ to Sir George Grey. * 01 tha °U