New-York tribune., 1897-08-22

Inasinuch as Japan is reported to have suG-
eestod the nomination Of King Leopold to act as
arbitrator in her controversy with the United
states on the subject of Hawaii ii may be timely
20 point out the reasons why this country should
under no circumstance consent to the selection
of the Belgian ruler for the purpose, and al the
same time to call attention to the inconGruty oil
submitting disputes in which republics are con-
tCrncd to the judgment of monarchs IL Il
merely necessary to glance over the lst OF 'he
,'rhtv odd international dficultics-I leave out
,hosa Of minor imDortance-which have been set
,,cd ly arbitration since 1876 in order to per-
,oive how far more frequently the names OF en-
rerors ard Of kings are to be found ilSurlhS aS
jldces in the than those or persohaSeS VI
,,es exalted rank. socially speaking. The late
Gar dul,ost and most prcjudcod OF his lihe' the
drunken and dissolute King of Holland, the late
King Victor Emmanuel, whose financial irregu-
:aritics are at the bottom of the present admin
,strative corruption and sadly impaired crcdlt oi
Italy: Emperor Napoleon III, most unscrupulous
e ncnarchs and as inveerate a consprator al
ter his accession to the throne as in the days
when he was still a mere political refugee; the
:te Emperor William. who, though chiNarous
gentleman and an excellent soldier, understood
nothing about international law; Dom PEDRO Oh
;Iazil and King Oscar of Sweden, have time and
again been called upon to act as umplres in IN
.,rrational complications.
Inasmuch as the United States is a party To
some 20 per cent of the cases above mentioned
A. submitted to arbitration and as, moreover
,i,;s country and the South American republics
a. Jointly responsible for at least two-thlrds OF
TIE entire number. cynical persons might find
therein ground for arguing that the people OH
This side Of the Atlantic entertain a far greater
M
C the Lord" than is consonant win 'he "'c-
:rjros Of democracy that constitute The touhua-
ton Of the great American commonwealth.
THE LESSON OF EXPERIENCE
incidentally it may be pointed out that mon
orcbicaI governments manifest decided prefer
euco for selecting non-royal personages' ana
ortontim.s republican statesmen and dignitailes
-, orLitrators Thus England has in several
Instances invoked the services oi the chlei "'"7
istrates Of France and Of Switzerland III sue"
matters. while the President of the united states
las likewise been called upon by cro"heu 'u'e's
10 determine the right and the wrong "i "''Pu'''
IN which they bad become involved. ana III 'h'S
tney show their good sense for "il''"5' "''
C an American. hut as IA foreigner. IL IL "h-
,ocelle for me to deny that there is iar sr'a''i
chance of Just verdict being rendered pS ho"
,.o, nersonares than by kings or emperors
these latter. when cdse Il i'iN'iN
.,,.. ,ur, il over 10 some Of their legal advisers
ond take no further trouble about 'he i'"'''''
excent TO afix their signature TO the leSa' oP''o
drawn I'D for their approval by 'he ia"Se'' "
noliticians whom they have employed Tor the
vuruose or else. if they take the matter IN hahu
themselves under the impression that thelr
crown has invested them with an abstruse
tnoyledcc of the intricacies of international law
without ever having studied the latter, they are
emf TO make the most ridiculous mistakes
Tbus King William of Holland, on being
asked bv the United States many years a%" u
datcrmine the northeast boundary line. on the
enbioct Of which there was a difference OF oplh-
tor with Great Britain. declined 10 accept ether
V,o American or the English views, and rendered
\acision in favor Of prcpostcrous frontier line
4 his own devisng, which was not oniy uhac-
.ou,abIo to both countries concerned. but abso-
,utcly impossible geographically as well as Po-
..i;callv Indeed if is difficult to say which is the
most unsatisfactory Of the two, the monarch VINO
takes his umpireship au sericuX. and insists on
~.garjing himself as a very Daniel come to judS-
,-,,t ar else the king or emperor who turns
ov.r the papers connected with the matter TO
s,noc obscure and irresponsible underlinG #
whose id, nifty and qualifications the parties to
the dispute are entirely ignorant.
This question is all the more worthy Of con-
.dcra,ion as the United States bids fair to b.
rome involved long in a oontrovrsy win
cnain Of the same character as the Alabama
difficulty and which. like the latter, VIII nave
- be submitted to arbitration. Through private
edvic.s received from Madrid, ! learn that
~alderon Carlisle the legal adviser Of the Span
lsh Legation at Washington. while spending his