rules which are to be inviolably observed by sovereigns, and held sacred throughout the whole earth.

"The faith of treaties that firm and sincere resolution, that invariable constancy in fulfilling our engagements, of which make profession in a treaty inviolable between the nations of the earth, it repose secures; and if their duty to themselves, him who " mankind be not whose safety and wilfully deficient in infamy must ever be the portion of violates his faith.

He who

we

therefore to be held sacred and

is

• *

violates his treaties, violates at the

same time the

law of nations, for he disregards the faith of treaties, that faith which the law of nations declares sacred and, so far as de

pendent on him, he renders it vain and ineffectual. Doubly guilty, he does an injury to his ally, and he does an injury to all nations, and inflicts a wound on the great society of man kind. * * * "

"On

the observance and execution of treaties," said a re " depends all the security which princes

spectable sovereign,

and States have with respect to each

other,

and no dependence

could henceforward be placed in future conventions isting ones were not to be observed."

if

the ex

sometimes

said, by those seeking to defend, or at least the United States Government's repeated disregard of treaties with the Indians, that no Congress can be held re

It is

palliate, its

sponsible for the acts of the Congress preceding it, or can bind the Congress following it; or, in other words, that each Con gress may, if it chooses, undo all that has been done by previ However ous Congresses. acts, it is clearly true this may be of some legislative not true, according to the principles of inter national law, of treaties.

On this point Vattel says"

Since public treaties, even those by a king, or by another sovereign State, of a personal nature, concluded who is invested with sufficient power, are treaties of and obligatory on the whole nation, real treaties, which