THE WORLD STATE 147 



THE WOELD STATE 

 By c. c. eckhardt 



UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI 



TN the last decade certain disconnected movements have accom- 

 -*- plished something in the way of bringing about a world state, 

 and other movements are on foot to bring about a completion of this 

 general movement. The Hague Peace Conference (1899) brought 

 about the establishment of a permanent international court of arbitra- 

 tion or the international department of justice; the Interparliamentary 

 Union is trying to effect the establishment of a world parliament or 

 congress, or legislative department, and if possible a world executive 

 department. The purpose of this article will be to deal with the 

 history and nature of each of these movements, to point out the reasons 

 why the present movement ought theoretically to succeed and to discuss 

 the obstacles to a successful realization of such plans. 



1. The Hague Peace Conference and the Hague Tribunal. — In the 

 summer of 1898 the Tsar invited all the principal states of the civilized 

 world to send delegates to discuss concerted action for the maintenance 

 of a general peace and the amelioration of the hardships of war and to 

 plan for the possible reduction of the military and naval armaments 

 of the world. This conference met May 18 to July 29, 1899. It was 

 composed of one hundred delegates representing states having standing 

 armies and navies; twenty-six nations in all were represented. The 

 Papacy, the Transvaal Republic, and the states of Central and South 

 America were not represented. The results of the conference were 

 twofold : ( 1 ) Certain arrangements concerning warfare were made and 

 (2) a permanent court of arbitration was established. 



The arrangements concerning warfare need not occupy our atten- 

 tion; suffice it to say that a number of resolutions were adopted which 

 tend to make war less brutal and have in view the ultimate reduction 

 of military and naval armaments. Besides these humanitarian efforts 

 of the conference, it accomplished what will be historically much more 

 important, namely, the establishment of a permanent international 

 court of arbitration. The powers agreed to submit all serious cases of 

 international dispute for decision to an international tribunal. The 

 conference provides for the selection of persons who shall constitute a 

 permanent tribunal for six years. Each power can choose not more 



