The  Congress  was  a  great  peace  congress  and  a  wonderful  witness
to  the  profound  and  pervasive  conviction  of  the  world's  commercial
leaders  that  the  imperative  interests  of  trade  and  industry  to-day
demand  decisive  action  for  the  supplanting  of  the  present  system  of


6  ANNUAL  REPORT  TO  THE  TRUSTEES

war  and  monstrous  armaments  by  international  courts  and  the  judi-
cial settlement  of  disputes  between  nations  as  between  men. It
took  no  other  action  which  aroused  such  deep  interest  or  such  great
enthusiasm  as  its  endorsement  unanimously  of  the  effort  to  establish
the  International  Court  of  Arbitral  Justice  and  the  united  endeavor
of  the  nations  to  prevent  the  atrocities  of  war. The  resolution  making
this  declaration  of  the  sentiment  of  the  Congress  was  offered  by  the
President  of  the  Congress  himself,  M. Canon-Legrand,  in  an  eloquent
address. The  resolution  was  supported  in  earnest  speeches  by  Sir
John  E. Bingham,  former  member  of  the  British  Pariiament,  repre-
senting the  London  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  several  other  mem-
bers of  the  Congress,  and  the  scene  of  its  adoption  was  the  most  stir-
ring and  impressive  scene  of  the  Congress. At  the  great  banquet
in  the  evening  following  this  memorable  demonstration  President
Taft,  amidst  prolonged  and  enthusiastic  cheering,  closed  his  impres-
sive address  with  the  following  words: —

"I  wish  to  speak  of  the  influence  upon  the  world  by  the  coming
of  these  delegates  and  these  chambers  of  commerce  to  meet  us  and
our  meeting  them. You  come  here  for  trade,  to  promote  trade;  and
trade  is  peace. And  if  trade  had  no  other  good  thing  connected  with
it,  the  motive,  the  selfish  motive  in  love  of  trade  that  keeps  off  war
in  order  that  trade  may  continue,  is  a  sufficient  thing  to  keep  up  trade
for. I  believe  that  we  must  have  some  escape  in  the  future  from  the
burden  that  is  imposed  by  this  increasing  armament  of  nations. And
you  will  never  have  the  solution  until  you  have  furnished  some  means
of  certainly  and  honorably  settling  every  international  controversy,
whether  of  honor  or  vital  interest,  by  a  court  upon  which  all  nations
may  rely. 