The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-27
The Geneva Conference soo-saw-Thc
Settlement End UP.

Settlement End UP.
The HERALD special cable despatch from
Geneva, published this morning, again puts
the settlement end Of the Conference see-saw
up, and gives renewed hope of a removal of
the distractions in the way of the real bust
ness of the Court and of solution Of all diff
culties to the satisfaction of all parties con-
cerned. According to our correspondents
statement the members Of the Council of
Arbitration have become less reticent and
seem at last not unwilling to express
their opinions. Hitherto they have not
only preserved the strictest silence with
regard to the actual business before the
Court, but have persistently refused to express
any opinion as to the prospect of final success
or failure. Now we are told they have come
to the conclusion that prudence no longer
demands silence. It was authoritatively stated
yesterday that when the Court of Arbitration
meets to-day the arbitrators will be in posi-
ton to give positive decision and that such
decision will be in favor Of the preserva-
ton of the treaty. Our correspondent
had conversed with the leading representatives
of both the United States and Great Britain !;
everybody seemed to be in excellent spirits
and on all hands there was an expression Of
confidence that the session to be held to-day
will result in the satisfactory removal of the
present obstructive difficulty The presump-
ton at Geneva is, consequently, that both gov
ernments have arrived at q common under
standing; and it is believed there that at the
meeting to-day the agents of the British gov
eminent, on the one hand, and the agents of
the United States government, on the other,
will make known to the Court the nature Of the
wonderful and favorable change that has been
wrought in the controversy within the past forty
eight hours. This explanation, we are assured,
will enable the Court, "after having replied to
the English government" we presume, on the
motion for protracted adjournment to give
o decision upon the question at issue-to wit
the admissibility of the American claims for
indirect losses entailed upon us through the
acts of the Anglo-C Confederate privateers. The
Queens messenger has arrived in Geneva
bearing to Lord Tenterden dispatches
said to be as important as those
received last Saturday by Mr. Bancroft
Davis, and supposed to be the reply of
England to the latter. Interviews between the
representatives of the two nations took place
yesterday with view to reaching such an un-
derstanding as would prevent delay before the
Court to-day and render further adjournment
for reference to their respective governments
unnecessary. The English side had requested
that an early hour might be fixed for the meet
ing Of the court, SO that they might be enabled
to send off dispatches, or probably one Of their
counsel, to London by the afternoon train 1t
will rest with Count Sclops and his associates to
determine at to-day's session how long an
adjournment shall now be had, and our
despatch concludes with the observation that
it is highly gratifying to observe that both
sides have absolute confidence in the impair
TALLY of the tribunal
We have no desire to cast shade over this
rose-colored picture, and we trust that to-day
no croaling Of bird of i'll omen will disturb
the cooling of the Geneva doves. But our
people have been SO often disappointed in
their expectations Of q final favorable
settlement of the conference difficulties that
we must be pardoned if we prefer to await the
actual consummation Of this new bargain be-
fore we congratulate ourselves upon having
got rid of the matter. The issues have been
latterly SO distinctly made between the two
governments and the lines so sharply drawn
that it is bewildering to attempt to conjecture
the nature of the astonishing continuance by
which both parties are to carry their points
and be well pleased with the result. Besides
at this distance from the Court of
Arbitration we imagine that we discover diff
culties in the very programme laid down as
the basis of settlement. The Court will first
reply to England we are told; which means,
if our former information can be relied upon,
that the demand of the British agent for
protracted adjournment or postponement of
the fling of the argument is to be refused by
the arbitrators. This is certainly not calcu-
lated to satisfy England, unless on
the superstition that she has foreknowl-
edge that the subject Of indirect claims
is either to be withdrawn or kicked out of
Court as inadmissible and not within the
treaty. Otherwise an adverse decision on Lord
Tenterden's application for adjournment would
leave England before the Court, bound to put
in her argument, without any such guarantee
as she has sought in regard to indirect claims.
When the postponement question has been dis
posed of it is said the Court will at once
fender judgment that will effectu-
ally remove the obstruction of indirect
claims How ia this to be accom-
plished in manner satisfactory to both
parties? Lord Granville insists that the con-
troverted claims shall either be withdrawn by
us Internationally or expunged by the Court
as matter not within the scope of the Treaty of
Washington illegally introduced into the
American case, and hence never officially
before the Court Unless this be done