The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-12-08

matte representatives of the United
States at Caracas and the government
at Washington, thereby ending a sit
uation which was bound to cause in
creasing friction. and which jeoparded
the peace of the continent. Under this
agreement Venezuela agreed to set
apart a certain percentage of the GUS
toms receipts of two of her ports to
be applied to the payment of whatever
obligations might be ascertained by
mixed commissions appointed for that
purpose to be due from her, not only
to the three powers already mentioned,
whose proceedings against her had re-
suited in a state of war, but also to
the United States. France, Spain, Bel
GUM, the Netherlands, Sweden and
Norway, and Mexico. who had not en-
ployed force for the collection of the
claims alleged to be due to certain Of
their citizens.
demand was then made by the
So called blockading powers that the
sums aScertained to be due to their
citizens by such mixed commissions
should be accorded payment in full
before anything was paid upon the
claims of any of the so-called peace
powers. Venezuela, on the other hand,
insisted that all her creditors should
be paid upon a basis of exact equality.
During the efforts to adjust this dis
pute it was suggested by the powers
in interest that it should be referred
to me for decision, but l was clearly
of the opinion that a far wiser course
would be to submit the question to
the Permanent Court of Arbitration at
The Hague. 1t seemed to me to offer
an admirable opportunity to advance
the practice of the peaceful settlement
of disputes between nations and to
secure for the Hague Tribunal a men,
CRADLE increase of it's practical import
ance. The nations interested in the
controversy were SO numerous and in
many instances so powerful as to make
it evident that beneficent results would
follow from their appearance at the
same time before the bar of that au-
gust tribunal of peace.
Our hopes in that regard have been
realized. Russia and Austria are rep
resented in the persons of the learned
and distinguished jurists who COM
pose the Tribunal, while Great Britain,
Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Bel
gium, the Netherlands, Sweden and
Norway, Mexico, the United States, and
Venezuela, are represented by their re-
Spective agents and counsel. Such
an imposing concourse of nations pre-
senting their arguments to and invok
ing the decision of that high court
of international justice and interna-
tional peace can hardly fail to secure
a like submission of many future con-
troversies. The nations now appearing
there will find it far easier to appear
there a second time, while no nation
can imagine it's just pride will be les
sened by following the example now
presented. This triumph of the prin-
ciple of international arbitration is a
subject of warm congratulation and
offers a happy augury for the peace
of the world.
Peace Sentiment Growing.
There seems good ground for the be-
lief that there has been a real growth
among the civilized nations of a sem
timent which will permit a gradual sub
stitution of other methods than the
method of war in the settlement of dis
putes. 1t is not pretended that as yet
we are near position in which it
will be possible wholly to prevent war,
or that a just regard for national in
terest and honor will in all eases per-
NIT of the settlement of international
disputes by arbitration; but by a mix
ture of prudence and firmness with
wisdom we think it is possible to do
away with much of the provocation and
excuse for war, and at least in many
cases to substitute some other and
more rational method for the settle
ment of disputes. The Hague Court
offers so good an example of what
can be done in the direction of such
settlement that it should be encouraged
in every way.
Further steps should be taken. In
President McKinleys annual message
of Dec. 5, 1898, he made the following
recommendation:
THE experiences of the last year
bring forcibly home to us a sense of
the burdens and the waste of war.
We desire, in common with most civil
lized nations, to reduce to the lowest
possible point the damage sustained in
time of war by peaceable trade and
commerce. 1t is true we may suffer
in such cases less than other COM
munities, but all nations are damaged
more or less by the state of uneasiness
and apprehension into which an out
break of hostilties throws the en-
tire commercial world. 1t should be
our object, therefore. to minimize, so
far as practicable, this inevitable loss
and disturbance. This purpose can