The Lord Chief Justice (Lord Russell of ICillowen, who is
still perhaps better remembered by many amongst us as Sir Charles Russell) delivered an elaborate and interesting address to the American Bar at Saratoga on Thursday on international law, considered chiefly in reference to the proposal for international Courts of Arbitration. We need hardly say that Lord Russell is earnest in favour of any reasonable proposal that may diminish the risks of war, especially between nations so closely allied to each other as the different branches of the Anglo-Saxon race, but he was careful also to point out the danger that if a Court were estab- lished to which "any Power may resort with little cost and no risk, the temptation may be strong to put forward pre- tensions and unfounded claims in support of which there may readily be found in most countries (can we except even Great Britain and the United States ?) busybody Jingoes only too ready to air their spurious and inflammatory patriotism." Also the Lord Chief Justice insisted on the view which we have so often placed before our readers,—that it is very doubtful whether "a permanent tribunal, the members of which shall be a priori designated, is practicable or desirable." The objection to it is, he said, that "the character of the best tribunal must largely depend upon the question to be arbitrated," and besides that, it is extremely questionable whether it would be wise to give "the character of permanence to the personnel of any such tribunal." No such tribunal would be likely to retain the public confidence long, and yet such a tribunal might very probably learn to assume intolerable pretensions. The Lord Chief Justice's suggestions on these subjects—earnestly as he advocated the expediency of pacific compromises—were very weighty and well worth consideration.
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