The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-24
THE CONFERENCE OF STATES.
Disputes That May Interfere with
tInn Cnr,.iur CnmEEess.

Not until the President ana secretary
{ Hay return to Washington and take up
the question can a prediction be made as
to the outcome of the dispute over the
second Pan-American Congress called to
meet in the City Of Mexico next October
President Diaz Of Mexico may be appealed
to if the President and Secretary Hay
are unable to bring the disputants to-
gether 1t is true that Mexico has not
been popular with her southern neighbors
for several years, but it is thought that.
in spite of this. President Diaz's personal
I influence viii be strong enough to bring
the Latin-American countries together in
conference now that the attention OF the
whole world is being called to the discord
existing among peoples that should be on
friendly terms.
President Diaz. it is known. is quite as
eager as President Mckinley to bring
about an harmonious understanding be
tween the nations of the New World and
views with even more suspicion than do
the leaders Of thought in the United
States the part that Europe is playing in
the game 1t is said that Peru and Bo-
ltvia have received assurances from Eu-
rope of financial aid in recovering their
| lost provinces ard a way to the sea if
these nations succeed in so manipulating
/ the forthcoming Pan-American Congress
/ as to force arbitration on Chile. This as
/ suranCe was given. of course. with the
! view of stirring UP just that form of
! strife which is now threatening to make
| futile the attempt to hold another Pan
| American Congress.
The chief interest of the United States
! IN the congress lies in the hope of evoIv-
ing some scheme by which all future dis
putes between New World nations can be
Z ;
Is the desire OF this Government that the
| international congress at the Mexican
capital partakc more of the nature of d
peace conference, like tha- held at The
Hague two years ago, than of an assem-
Dlage for the promotion of commerce.
| This was Mr. BIaine's central idea when
| the first congress met, but soon after the
delegates gathered in Washington It was
made manifest to him that the principle
of orderly government had not proceeded
to that stage among the Latin-American
where a satisfactory scheme Of arbItra-
ton could be devised
As boundary disputes are the chief
source Of wrangiing and a constant men
/ ace Of war among nearly all the Latin
American countries, the hope has been
entertained by this Government that the
/ congress in Mexico City would authorize
TO which could be referred all pending
! questions-exeept, OF course. that as to
! Tacna and Arica-and thus the main
I cause Of dangerous friction would largely
( be removed However, it is now becom-
I ing evident that even if all the nations Of
/ the New World should take part in the
! Congress, no arbitration scheme can be
I agreed upon. At the same time this Gov
! eminent has not wholly abandoned hope
/ On that point.
: At present there is a deadlock in the
{ executive board which has coptr0I Of the
/ preparations for the congress, and as the
Z situation stands the outlook is gloomy
I The board consists of the Secretary CT
State Of the United States and the Min
! listers PIenipotentiary to this country Of
/ the Republics Of Bolivia, Ecuador, Guate-
] mala. and Costa RiCa- Chile started the
( dispute by broadly intinating in respond
/ ing 20 the formal Invitations to the con-
gress her unwiningness to take part I'M
{ less the tentative programme arranged by
! the executive board was so revised as to
( cOufIue the subject of arbitration wholly
/ to future occurrences. Chile was the only
/ HallDu mol represented IN the uTSt PAN
/ American Congress, which was held in
/ u aShingtDn under the supervision Of
! James @ Blaine il 1899.
! ChIle'S reason for refusing to take PAT
/ then was the same as it is now. Only
| six years before the first congress was
] held Chile had come out Of a victorious
/ u At with Peru and as indemnity had
seized the rich provinces Of Tacua and
! Arlca- The Chilean administration Of
eleven years ago feared that the congress
( would arbitrate Chile out of these new
acquisitions and would also decide that
EOiividS claim to a seaport at the ex-
/ pense of Chile's coast line was just As
soon as these cid questions were raised
again by Chile & stubborn attitude the
/ executive board took hold Of them in the
/ hope OF reaching satisfactory settle
trg1sar .f.-r fE,r =
american Congress wOEId be enabled TO
make substantial progress in its great
{ undertaking Of bringing all the nations
I CT the New World into closer political
I harmony and neighbOTly interest
About two weeks ago The executive
/ board after thorough discussion. took
/ several votes on various phases Of the
I questions involved, and these votes seem
{ ed to indicate a Willingness on Ahe part
/ Of the board to comply with Chile's de
mand for a revision Of the tentative pro-
( gramme- Senior Eicuna the Chilean Min
/ lister to this country, Immediately com
mUnicated this intelligence to his Gov
| eminent. and received a reply from the
/ Foreign ONCE at Valparaiso that Chile
under the conditions named would take
| part in the congress Based on the be
/ lief that this conclusion was final the
news was sent out from Washington that
+ the entire dispute was closed. and that
( Chile would be represented at the City of
( Mexico next October At this point the
! Peruvian Government began to balk, and
then, Of course, Bolivia became reluctant,
too.
At the next meeting of the executive
T board the whole subject was Teopened
( through the apparent UuwillinGneSS Of
Assistant Secretary Hill TO assume too
much responsibility in the absence Of his
/ chief Secretary Fay. Peru and Bolivia
served notice that they would withdraw
their acceptance of the invitation to the
I congress unless the original programme
was rigidly adhered to. On the vote tG
adhere It is said that Ecuador and Bolivia
voted in the affirmative, and Guatemala
and Costa RIGA in the negative, and As
I SiStant Secretary Hill refused TO cast the
! deciding vote
! 1t IS in this uncertain state, therefore.
that the matter rests at present 1t IS
. thought that when they return TO the
ely the President and Secretary Hay can
straighten out the tangIe. If they should
Z not succeed in doing so the congress at
the City of Mexico viii be failure if
not a ridiculous farce. If the congress as
SeTable without n fixed programme and
clearly defined purposes it can do nothing
The riyairies and jealOusies among the
South American nations would prevent
any harmonious action not pledged in ad-
Z vance
Il is doubtful indeed. that the majority
Of the countries south of the Isthmus
would send representatives to the cor
Grrss If the executive board should fail
mics like Chile or one side and Peru and
Bolivia on the other could stand.
Spiders That Make SILK.
(FrOm the London Express)
Silk comes from many sources for al
most every worm OF aerial habits Is more