The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-12-27
INSIDIOUS CONSPIRACY AGAINST
THE SOUTH.

foreign and American bankers of
$500, 100000, the principal and inter-
st of bonds readjusted O. repudiated
after the "carpet-bag" governments
were displaced from power.
The means by which this enormous
tribute is hoped to be. Obtained is the
annulment of the Constitution of the
United States and the establishment
Of a semi European Court With juris-
d;ction over the Southern States.
The principal moves in this cam
paign have necessarily been made at
long intervals, and in more or less OBJ
security in order to avold suspicion.
They are as follows:
First The joint resolution of March
| Ord, 1888, which (a) buried the report
of the Venezuela Commission of 1866
| 81 and (b) authorized the negotiation
/ of a new treaty, and the appointment
of new commissioners instructed TO
reopen all claims regardless of pre-
vious rejection public policy or ma
| tional sovereignty.
! End. The Venezuelan treaty or
Claims Convention negotiated in 1879;
| ratification purposely delayed until
June, 1889, and publication in tie u.
= Statutes withheld until after the
close Of the session of 1925.
Senator Riddleberger was always of
the opinion that this treaty carried
| concealed danger to the South. IL di-
| rected the ''re-opening of all claims
presented before 1868 and provided for
the recognition of tine vested inter-
| csts'' of third parties who had pur-
! chased certificates of claims against
Venezuela.
| The new commissioners were Nj.
! Findlay for the United States, and Sem
ator Andrade for Venezuela. Mr.. Lit
tie, an official of the British govern
ment was selected sLs the third COM
| missioner. The claim" OF New
! York banking house was ''reopencd'
| ARD Mr.. Little and MIR. F'indlay decid-
! ed, acting as majority, that Nene-
zuela must pay the face value and one
hundred and siNty-five per cent. in
i te rest on $500, 009 of bonds which had
been issued in 1888, readjusted in
| 1857, and dismissed by the commission
appointed under the treaty Of 1866.
| This decision established a precedent
against the Southern States
| Srd The liberal financing of an
agitation in the Northern states to de-
Telop public sentiment in favor Of ar
| bitrating "all differences" with Great
Britain and other nations.
| 4th. The Omey-P aunceforte Treaty
| of 1897, which for the first time in our
history ordered that Questions in
which particular State is concerned"
should be submitted to European
judges, and which imperatively pro-
! vded that financial claims" on
groups of financial claims arising out
of the same or similar transactions
should be finally and irrevocably de-
cided by the King of Sweden. This
treaty was rejected by the Senate on
| May 20, 1897.
5th. The Hague Convention in
/ oIof it1C u 10
| Is adroitly concealed in the phrase
legal questions whether already en-
| listing or which may eventually arise. "
! 9Th. The South Dakota law author
/ izing the Governor to accept iona
| tons of bonds" and to bring a Specula-
tive suit to collect them" in any court.
State or Federal.
| eth. The South Dakota suit against
| North Carolina to recover on $4,000
of readjusted bonds donated TO South
| Dakota by associate bondholderS
| Judgment has been given agains.
North Carolina for SGT 400, including
| the principal and one hundred ard
| seVenty-four per cent. interest.
9Th. The proposed arbitration
! treaties with every European country.
making arbitration compulsory in all
cases of 1.-The judicial order" /. e. lie
gal questions, and uuestions "involvnS
4
| 1t is not to be inferred that the
Americacn statesmen who have occu-
ried official positions during the past
| twenty years have been aWaIe. of the
ifull significance of the effected and
projected laws and treaties.
They We're infatuated by the
| thought that their fame would he per-
petuated as Apostles of Peace to This
| war loving world, that they became
easy victims to the trained diplomats
Of Europe. Flattered and cajoled by
masters of statecraft they forgot that
| European financiers hold $1,000, 1900
900 of repudiated state bonds and Sc
cuestrated Confederate bonds se1ues-
| trated in opposition to the tenth ar
| ticle of the treaty of 1894.
| Hon. John w. Foster president of
the International Arbitration Com
mittee, Hon. Geo. L. Rives, and Hon
John +. M core, members of the Exec-
tutive Committee, were connected with
the State Department While the Ven
eZuelan treaty was withheld from pub
| LEGATION in the United States statutes.
Hon. Charles s. Hamlir, active in the
arbitration propaganda, was an ofi-
cial OF the Treasury Department while
the Omey- Paunceforte treaty was be-
| irg ambiguOusly constructed
| All OF these sincere and able 2uVO-
Gates of international amitY' will be
appalled, to learn that the two treaties
construed together would have infiict-
| ed an almost irretrievable loss lpon
the Southern States. European diplo-
mats and jurists. however, are cold
| hearted enough to have insisted that
| the same law which was enforced
upon Venezuela, should he neted out
| in the same manner tC Virginia and
| the rest of the South.
| 1t is to be hoped that there will soon
be a number of res gnations of limo
cent Americans from the international
Arbitration and Collection Association,
| and that the eminent New York bank
| er who on December 14th endeavored
| to induce Virginia to bring suit against
West Virs mia foI S9n00.0e0 of bonds
and who on December 18th acted AS
general manager of the New York Ar
btration meeting. Will seek some other
method of promoting "the pcaoe o; The
world"
Let the Constitution of the United
States ard the Declaration Of hide
| pendence remain rs the foundations
OF our government, and "let Us have
| peace" between the States OF this great
| American republic.
p. McCAHEY,