The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-04-22
Good and Bad Losers.
The Triunfo Arbitration Puts Salvador
IN the Latter Class.

il the Latter Class.
There are good losers and bad
losers. Among those who play for
stakes Of any kind it Is am axiom that
to lose gracefully Is an ndisputable
proof Of salf-mastery and high
breeding. To lose iII-naturedly Is
confession of weakness and churIish-
ness, Of all tests of character mona
Is more searching than the spirit in
which a loser faces the frowns of for
tune.
We are led to these reflections BIZ
some mock heroics recently INDUCED
IN by the Republic of Salvador. That
! tiny Central American state agreed
some years ago to settle by arbitration
9 claim brought against it by the
United States. An arbitration com
mission was duly constituted. each
country naming an arbitrator, and
both accepting a distinguished Cana
dian jurist as the third member of
! the court Judgment was given final
/ ~ against Salvador. But the Saliva
dorian arbitrator, DR.. Pacas, precipi-
[tated a scene by dissenting, with pas
sionate violence, from the opinion
handed down by his colleagues from
the United States and Canada; and
as a result Of his complaints and pro
testaGons the government of Saliva
dor has for over a year past delayed
/ paying the commissions award.
We hear now from Central Ameri-
ca that the judgment viii be iqui-
dated, though still with unconceaIed
/ iIl-graee. Before deciding to pay, the
SaIvadorian authorities took counsel
of General Regelado. an ex-president
of the republic. That distinguished
warrior and statesman advised ac-
/ quieseence in the courts verdict.
though he condemned the verdict as
unjust, vulgar, and unusual" and as
rendered in absolute disregard Of the
/ iIlustrious opinion of the SaIvadorian
arbitrator. DR.. Paeas, whose powers
We're brutally ignored by Messrs.
/ Dickinson and Strong
/ But rude. Ubiquitous, and nnmor-
al as the decision was. it could not
! he reversed or evaded. So General
/ Regelado advised the REPUBLIC to "hurl
at the claimant little gold with the
/ contenIptuous manner of one who IS
! disposing Of something immaterial.
and thus not conceding an iota with
Preference TO his dignity or his rights"
We cannot altogether commend The
RegeIado method of paying interua-
tionaI debts. Salvador could take
lesson in dignity, in courtesy, and IN
self-eontroI from Mexico, which with
III q year last lost an arbitration with
this country vastly more important
/ and costly than the so-called FL
Triunfo case. But Mexico met de
/ feat at The Hague with true Castilian
poise. She neither whimpered nor
clustered In the lingo OF the sport
/ ing world, she did not "ehe,T the rag"
/ She did not talk Of ''burIing gold" at
our heads. She politely and prompt
/ ~ announced her willingness to dis
charge her obligations
OF course. if Salvador prefers TO
''hurF' her remittances at us, we shall
/ have to accept them rumpled and bat
tered. But Mexico's methods appeal
to us as much more civilized and
much more decorous, Are not our
+ Salvadorian friends denying their
t Spanish birthright2 Are they not
merely advertising their incapacitv to
be good losers-to meet Teyerses
after once trusting to fortune-with a
cheerful temper and an mruiled
mind?