| OCR Text |
Show 2f) 27 Turkey and l'inle‘aria-twenty-six in all. represented by one him- cases of arbitration unless the parties shall establish a special tribunal. Sixteen powers signed the treaty on July 29th. It was rate tied unanimously by the Senate of the United States on February 5, 1900. All of the powers represented at the conference signed it. They govern nine-tenths of the world, and their populations embraced fourteen hundred millions out of the total sixteen huus dred millions of the earth‘s inhabitants. Although not invited to become parties, of the Hague Con- ference the .outh American republics. animated by a spirit that rose above all littlcness and which commanded the admiration of the world, by a resolution passed at the Mexican International Conference in 1902. recognized the principles set forth in the three llague Conventit'ins as international law, and conferred upon the United States and _\lc.\icu the authority to negotiate with the other signatory powers for their becoming parties to these treaties. There had been other l'eace Congresses, such as the Conference of Munster and Osnabrucl' in 16.18. those if L'treeht in 1713. iii l‘aris in 1703. the Congress of Vienna '11 1815, and that uf llerlin in 1878: but as Mr. Ilolls, one of the (lred members. Of the independent governments of the world, the Central and South American republics. the Sultanates of If and Muscat. the Orange Free State. the Principality of Monaco. the lx‘epnblic of San Marine, and tlte Kingdom of .\lns>inia were tlte only ones not represented. They aereed to submission for signature by the plenipntentiaries up to December 31. 1599.011 three conventions and three declarations, to form so many separate acts. The first convention was "for the peaceful adjustment of international differences," The signatory powers agreed to use their best efforts to insure the pacific settlemr‘nt «vi internatimial differences, in cases of disagreement or cotnlict before an appeal to arms. to have. as far as circumstances allow, recourse to the good office or methation of one or more friendly power j to sanction, even duringr hostilities, the intervention of powers strangers to the dispute by offering their good off s as mediators in reconciling opposing eiaiins and in appeasine' feelintrs of resentment They recom- mended, when circumstances will allow. a resort by the parties at \arianee to special mediation of powers selected by them and during; the period allowed for the execution of such mandate the states in contlict shall cease from all direct communications. In differences involvingT neither honor nor vital interests, and only matters oi" fact. they recommended that the parties interested institute an lnternatiuvnal Commission of lnqniry. whose report shall b». limited to a statement of the facts. and shall only be advisw 'lnle l_\'i deals with lute-rnational ,r\rbitrationi It defines as its: object "The d 'ter nation of controversies between states by judges of their own choice upon the b2 sis of respect for law." and dtrlares that the signatory powers recognize arbitration as the most ('fllCItClt‘llS and must equitable method of deducingY ques- tions regardingr the interpretation of application of international treaties. Then follows the solemn declaration that "The agree- ment or arbitration implies the obligation to submit in goodlfaith to the decision (if the arbitral tribunal" They undertook to organize a permanent Court of Arbitra- tion. ac cssible at all times. which shall have jurisdiction of all members of the Ilae'ue Conference front the United States. remarks. "The vital distinction between these gatherings and the l'eace Conference at The Hague is that all of the former were ilt‘lll at the end of a period of warfare, and their first important object was to restore peace between actual belligerents: whereas the l'eaee t‘onferenee was the first diplomatic gatheringr called to discuss guarantees of peace without reference It) any particular waripast, present. or prospective." 1\.s .\inericans. whose government has always been in the advance guard Ct'llltlltlll for humanitarian principles, we take a laudable pride in the fact that the l'nited States proposed to our sister republic of Mexico to submit to the Hague Tribunal the l'ius linnd controvet ', the ll|‘~l ease brought under its authority. The reference of the \Vsnezuelan Case to The Hague was an event of vast inipurt. The interested powers suggested that President Roosevelt ~hnuld deeidt: the controversy. lle wisely declined this and remnnneinlcd that the offices of the llaque Tribunal be invoked. That Japan and l\'us-ia, two of the signatory powers, plunged |
