Moving Ahead

It is gratifying to note that one of the important matters which your convention will consider is the concept of world peace through law. Peace cannot prevail until men and nations recognize that their conduct must be governed by respect for and observance of the law.

From that opening message, sent by President Eisenhower, a single theme ran through the 82nd annual convention of the American Bar Association last week in Miami. Where only a few years ago the subject was rarely mentioned at A.B.A. conventions, last week speaker after speaker expressed hope and belief in the possibility of applying the rule of law to achieve world peace. Among them:

P: Attorney General William P. Rogers: "The main hope for peace is that nations will be wise enough not to rely on sheer strength in dealing with each other but will move toward establishing systems based on considerations of law and justice in the resolution of international disputes ... It must be obvious to everyone that action in this field is long overdue." Specifically, Rogers urged the U.S. Senate to repeal the so-called Connally amendment, which seriously limits the U.S. in submitting disputes to international courts.

P:Canadian Bar Association President Walter S. Owen: "Perhaps the most important task of lawyers today is to help to build the international legal order on which the hopes for world survival so largely depend . . . Creating a satisfactory system of world law means raising legal standards and promoting as much uniformity as possible so that international investment and commerce and the free movement of people can be carried on in an atmosphere of confidence and security."

P: Manhattan Lawyer Grenville Clark, 76, as he received an A.B.A. gold medal for his book, World Peace Through Law: "I hope to continue to work on a feasible plan to substitute law for violence or the threat of it. It is lawyers' work, predominantly lawyers' work. The legal profession in every country in the world must be ultimately summoned to a great conference of lawyers if we are to succeed. The stake is so great the goal is worth the effort."

P: Under Secretary of State Douglas Dillon: "The achievement of world peace through law is a goal which motivates the conduct of our country's international relations . . . The process of economic development under free institutions cannot take place in chaos or in disorder. It must have the security provided by law."

By convention's end, effort to achieve peace through law had been given still another strong push: newly elected A.B.A. President John D. Randall, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa attorney, threw his full weight behind an A.B.A. committee, headed by former President Charles Rhyne, which is already studying the possibilities of peace through law. Said Randall: "We're going to make it the most terrific committee in the history of the A.B.A."

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