PRESENT AND FUTURE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW 505 



A question might be asked, nevertheless, namely, In what manner 

 will the members of such an assembly be appointed? It seems to us 

 that the various parties in the different parliaments might be called 

 upon to appoint their delegates in proportion to their size, and the 

 number of members to be appointed would be proportionate to 

 the number of the inhabitants of each country, while assuring, 

 however, a minimum number of representatives to countries with 

 a small population. 



It is hardly possible to conceive a parliament without a permanent 

 delegation, charged with executing its decisions and bringing about 

 the preliminary study of the problems to be resolved. Such a 'dele- 

 gation will constitute in reality an international cabinet, and will be 

 composed essentially by those at the head of the various organisms 

 of international life. The importance of international offices at 

 present established, and which are, as we think, the embryonic ele- 

 ments of the future department of the international cabinet, is now 

 apparent. For it is difficult to conceive of such a cabinet otherwise 

 than as a vast administration for international needs. 



It is, of course, not easy to indicate at the present time how such 

 a cabinet would be organized. But it may be anticipated as to 

 some of its main departments. The department of land and marine 

 transportation, first of all, will absorb the present post, telegraph, 

 and railroad offices. That of hygiene will supervise the struggle 

 against epidemics and epizootic diseases of all kinds, and of what- 

 ever origin, and will be charged with the carrying out of the inter- 

 national sanitary convention. That of the arts and sciences will 

 absorb the offices relating to international exchanges, industrial 

 inventions, intellectual works, the bibliographical international 

 office, and the geodesic bureau. The special mission of supervising 

 the formation of an international library and of a world university 

 might also be given it. The department of justice would supervise 

 the normal progress of the international tribunal, would prepare 

 works of international codification, and insure the execution of the 

 judgments reached over conflicts between states. It might be well 

 to intrust to it the carrying out of the conventions relating to inferior 

 races and African tribes. 



Such a ministry or cabinet would, in fact, be only an enlarge- 

 ment and a coordination of the international administrations now 

 existing, and the resources placed at present at the disposal of the 

 various international offices might be considered as the elements for 

 an international budget to be voted on by the international parlia- 

 ment. That budget, which would include only expenditures for 

 peaceful purposes, would, by that very fact, be of modest size. At 

 the present time the appropriations for the various international 

 bureaus reach hardly the sum of a million francs. This small budget 



