The Bourbon news., 1904-09-30
LAWYERS CONGRESS.
Universal Convention of Jurists
in st. Louis.
Associate Justice Brewer Was Elected
President-Ex-Secretary of State
Foster Delivered the Principle
Address on Arbitration.

St Louis, Sept. 25.-The first uni
versal congress of lawyers and jurists
held under the auspices of the Ameri-
can Bar association convened Wednes-
day in festival hall at the conclusion
OF the American Bar association con-
vention. Eminent lawyers and jurists
from all over the world were in at
tendance. The congress was called to
order by F. w. Lehman, of st. Louis,
chairman of the exposition committee
on congresses. President d. R. Fran
els welcomed the congress to the ex-
position and introduced the president
of the congress, Hon. David j. Brewer,
associate justice of the supreme court
of the United States President Brew
er was greeted with an ovation of ap-
plause.
Former Secretary of State John w.
Foster, LID, was introduced and
made the principal address on the
subject of international arbitration
and The Hague tribunal He said in
part: 1T has been reported in the
press that the secretary of the navy
has announced himself as in favor of
a navy equal to the greatest navy in
the world. l trust he has been mis-
quoted. Our government should hold
itself ready to enter into an agree
ment for international disarmament
and not to the increase of the navy.
This country should hold itself to 9th
er and far more peaceful pursuits in
hn 0f or. fh0- 10 ha
making of implements of destruction
and death"
He then entered into an explana-
tion of the failure of The Hague con-
ference to effect an agreement on the
subject of international disarmament.
He expressed deep regret that the
fruits of war made necessary the per-
manent increase of the American army
and called attention to the prospective
large increase in the annual expendi-
lures of the government for the navy.
Senor Dom Emildo Velasco, of Mex
leo, and J. H. Ralston, LID, of Wash
ington, followed with discussions of
Senor Velasco said in part: 'The
idea of international arbitration is not
the creation of one man nor of any
set of men, however eminent they may
be, but it is the result of universal
sentiment. International arbitration
has at the present time three forms:
Cd Arbitration in it's nature transit
tory and for determined matters; (2)
Compromisory clauses inserted in
treaties to decide the questions which
the Interpretation and execution of
the treaty may give rise to; CD Per-
manent and obligatory arbitration
Treaties of arbitration in these three
forms have increased in number pro-
gressively, very especially in the first
two forms. The last form is the one
which offers the most resistance and
various attempts made to establish
permanent arbitration have proven
failures.
There are two difficulties which be-
set arbitration in these present times
the resistance on the part of some gov
ernments to permanent arbitration
and the difficulty of giving judicial
form to questions of political nature.
The tribunal of The Hague, created
by the collective action of the nations,
with its character of permanency and
with rules of procedure previously-de-
fined has in it's support great moral
force and presents all the advantages
and all the facilities which constitut-
ed tribunals offer. 1t is a tribunal
open to all who ask its judgment and
it's examples and it's practices will be
an inducement to all the nations to
entrust to it their difficulties for set
tlement."