The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-07
ARBITRATION TREATY
CONSIDERED IN SECRET BY PAN-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Proposal of the Guatemala Delega- tion for a Court of Claims is Also Discussed by the
 Congress.

Mexico City, Nov. 6.-This morning the Psn-American Congress decided to go into secret session to hear the project or the Msa6dI arbitration treaty proposed by against the secret session were those of Pal aguay and Argentine Republic, Bo- liria and Peru. four against fifteen. The press representatives were compelled to vacate the hall.
 After the proposed arbitration treaty | he d been reviewed in secret session the doors of the conference hall were again | thrown open to hear the proposal of the Gt atemala delegation for convention | for the Pan-Americah 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 citizens of any of the other powers, pro- vided that the claimants in such cases | shall not have served as enemies of the brought or shall not voluntarily have | aided them It shall be obligatory to pre- sent such cases to the court for aJudi- cation, but the claimant must first show | that he has exhausted all legal resources | in the tribunals of the country against which the claim Is preferred when the claim is of nature to be a proper sub- | Ject for the action of these tribunals. Four months after the exchange Of the , ratification of the convention. each na- | tiCn participating shall appoint three | jurists learned in international law. The
 members of the court to decide any giv- en case will be selected in the following
 manner:
 | Each nation interested in any particu- lar controversy shall appoint one of | the jurists on She list and both together Il l-l f,,k atr1 a
 referee or umpire. The persons desig-
 mated must not be citizens of either of
 the countries interested. If two nations cannot agree on the referee he shall be
 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 reopened, if, within six
 months of the rendering of the decision l further evidence throwing substantially
 new light on the subject of the contro'
 versy is forthcoming. If the winning
 side is not willing to have the case re
 opened. the claimant must appeal to the l tribunal which adjudicates the claim
 and if it 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 ser
 vices to any other governm9ht in case
 of claims against it or to thf claimants l themselves.
 At today's conference telegram was
 read from Secretary of Staf Hay ex-
 pressing thanks for his appointment as
 The following is the text of the mes sage:
 Washington. D. C., Nov. 4. 1901. Senor G. Raigosa President of the In
 ternational Conference of the Amer ican States Mexico City:
 In acknowledging the announcement ot
 my election as honorary president of tho conference, permit me to express my great appreciation of the distinguished honor conferred upon my country by the action of the delegates and my earnes
 wishes that the deliberations may tenc to bind together in still closer harmony the entire lamily of American republics | beg you to accept the assurance O.
 my highest consideration.
 | John Hay