Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1902-12-27

American Republics May Be Put
to Crucial Test-opposition to Re.
ferring the Dispute to the Hague Trl-
bunal-Steamer Caracas Had to Quit
Port Without UnIoadins-Notes.
Washington. Dec. 2l.--The cabinet
fpent its entire meeting yesterday in
discussion Of the Venezuelan situation.
Views for and against the presidents
acceptance OF the invitation to arbl-
trate were debated.
The meeting was prolonged to more
than two hours. The president denied
himself to all callers and remained in
consultation with the SrcrrtarT o' WAY
until the arrival OF the other mcnshc
Secretary Hay brought to til" meet
ing practically nothing new relating TO
the situation. No response had been
received to the presidents original s'lg-
gcstion to the powers that they consent
TO the reference Of the Venezuelan con-
trovcrSy to tie arbitration of The
Hague tribunal. and no formal request
has been received that the president act
as arbitrator of the difficulty. That
such II request will be received for
laullv aud officially is now practically as
sureU. II is known that the president
and all of the members of his cabinet
at first preferred that the whole NrNn-
tiouS question should be referred to The
Hague tribunal
II is understood that the presidents
piah. if he determines to urbitlntr. con-
templates tEc appointment of Il board
of urhitrutors. lie would not cont'dc
this Important undertaking 10 any one
man. nor does he feel able himself 10
s,,arp the vast amount of time necessary
for an examination in detail of each OF
the many claims that would br pre-
scented against Venezuela. Necessarily
the presidents arbitration board would
include some member of Il high order
of legal talent. as we'll as others thor
oughy vcrscd in the practice of inter
national law.
Jt is stated that the crucial point to
come before the arbitration is thr
famous "CalvO dOctrinr.' This doe
trinc. which was laid down by the great
est of I.atin-Amcrican international
lawyers and for many years has been
regarded us beyond question by all of
the Latin, american republics. denies
the right of any nation to intervene
diplonatirHily in behalf of one of its
subjects. where the courts of the co,lli-
try are open to his application for jus.
ticr. THUS. Venezuela has asserted
that all of those ella iimantS. British, Ger
man. Ita liam. French. might have gone
before the Venezuelan courts. AMI il
their cn,lscS had been Just and so de-
cidrl by the courts. the government
would have paid the judgments.
Tlr objection To this view is that no
account IS taken of nlisr;li'riH"rs of JUS
ticc auh of racial nntipathirs. but so dc,
tcrmincd are the Suuth ..imci'icnn coun-
tries to adhere to this doctrine that
some Of them lave gone to ,'ytlnor.
dinary lengths in their resistance q.
diplomatic efforts of foreign govcrl.
mcnts to secure justice for subjects,
4 notable case is that of Salvador.
Recently II United States corporation oh.
tanned. after arhitlntion IL Judgment
against the government of Salvador.
The verdict was received with int nS.'
indignation in Salvador, and so intense
was the anti-forri"n feeling excited that
Il law has been pn SSed " ithn the last
few weeks making it II criminal of.
fence. and one to hc heavily punished,
for any SalvaiiOrian to give any cv.-
dcncr whatever before any court in be
half of II foreigner claiming damages
against the Salvadorian government.
This doctrine will be on trial before
the arbitration and because of its vast
pointS Il board. he will see that ttc
members are men of the highest cali'rr.
1t is known that now some members
Of the cabinet are opposed to rcferrinl =
the matter to The Hague tribunal for
these reasons: In the first place they
have no desire to submit the Monroe
doctrine To th" arbitrlment OF any non-
American tribunal, not even excepting
the august and "nIinently fair tribuna
Of rlc Hague They very much prefer
that if this doctrine is TO be the subject
of arbitration. II il Is to he even BROUGHT
in Incidentally, that American infu.
cnccs shall pass on it. Not that the fair.
ness of The Hague nrhiilators is i'l.
pcIchel. but us most OF them repro.
sent European and morarchinl inter
eSts. it is realized that their training
may he regarded as uuSymprthctic
where they are required to deal with
such IN essentially American subject
rs the Monroe doctrine. IT IL true that
ON its face the arbitration proposal
contains nothing that indicates that this
doctrine is TO he attacked, but so com
pleX and numerous are the questions
which will come before the arbitration
that it is appreEended here that the
famous doctrine scarcely can lie kept
from consideration.
Another reason that animatrs thcsr
cabinet officers In this inclinatinn
toward acceptance Is their conviction
that an iEorlmnte length of time would
be consumed it the issue Is taken before
The Hague tribunal. The machinery
is pondcrous and difficult to put in n.o-
ton. First these must he arranged Il
bas sis of arbitration; the arbitrator must
lie selected hy the parties to the ca SO
and these in turn must choose an unl-
pirc of umpires, and while this is goin.
on the blockade W Duld continue with lis
ever present danger Of active host.li-
ties and bloodshcd that might render
nugatory al! attempts ut arbitration.
On the other h;und. if the president I'M
dcrtakcs tie settlement he can get rid
Lorey Wants His Money Back.
indianapolis. Dee. 24.-fhc governor
of Indiana has issued Il rcqui>iicn OH
4.