The age-herald., 1901-11-07
Secretary Hay Extends Thanks for His Election as Hon.
 OraT President
4 SECRET SESSION IS HELD
Details of Proposed Subjects of Arbi- tration introduced by Mexico Seem to Favor Chile as
 Against Peru.

Mexico City. November 6-This morn- ing the Pan-American Congress decided to go into secret session to hear the project of the arbitration treaty by the Mexican delegation. The votes against the secret session were those of Paraguay and Argentine Republic, Bolivia and Peru, four against fifteen. The press representatives were compelled to vacate the hall. f4
 After the proposed arbitration treaty had been reviewed in secret session the doors of the conference hall were again thrown open to hear the proposal of the Guatemala delegation for a convention for the Pan-American court of claims.
 The proposed convention among other things provides that with the object of facilitating the adjustment of controver- sies which the several governments par ticipating in the convention may have been unable to settle Automatically, the high contracting parties agree to submit to the court of claims all pending and future questions between governments of any of the participating powers and citi- zens of any of the other powers, pro- vided that the claimants in such cases shall not have served as enemies of the government against which the claim is brought or shall not voluntarily have aided them. It shall be obligatory to present such cases to the court for ad- judication but the claimant must first show that he has exhausted all legal re- sources in the tribunal of the country against which the claim is preferred and
 
 proper subject for the action of these tribunals. Four months after the ex- change of notifications of the convention, each nation participating shall appoint three jurists learned in international law. The members of the court to decide any given case will be selected in the fol- lowing manner:
 Election of Court.
 Each nation interested in any particu- lar controversy shall appoint one of the jurists on the list and both together shall at the same time appoint third as a referee or umpire. The persons designat- ed must not be citizens of either of the countries interested. If two nations cannot agree on the referee he shall be appointed by a third power not interest ed in the controversy. Two nations may if they choose appoint single arbiter among those on the list, provided he is not a citizen of either country. The court of claims must endeavor to hand down a decision within six months. The case may be re-opened if within six months from the rendering of the de- cision further evidence throwing sub stsntially new light on the subject of the controversy is forthcoming. If the win ming side is not willing to have the case re-opened the claimant must appeal to the tribunal which adjudicates the claim, and if 1t considers his request reasonable 1t will order a review of the case Though the tribunal primarily is for the benefit of the nations entering into the convention. it may offer Its good services to any other government in case of claims against 1t or to the claim ants themselves.
 At today's conference telegram was read from Secretary of State Hay ex- pressing thanks for his appointment as honorary president.
 The following is the text of the u,es- sage:
 Secretary Hays Dispatch.
 Washington, D. C., November 4 1s0i. ''Senor c. Raigrosa. President of the In
 ternational Conference of the American States, Mexico City:
 T acknowledge the announcement of my election as honorary president of the conference. Permit me to express my great appreciation of the distinguished honor conferred upon my country by the action of the delegates. ana my earnest wishes that the deliberations may tend to bind together in still closer harmony the entire family of American republics. beg you to accept the assurance of my highest consideration
 JOHN HAY"
 Although the reading of Mexico's pro- feet of the arbitration took place in se- cret session some very interesting facts have leaked out The principal one ia that the project is decidedly favorable to Chile and correspondingly distasteful to Peru.