Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-01
MACFARLAND'S VIEWS
Address Before the lake
Mohonk Conference.
TREATY ARBITRATION
QUOTED THE PRESIDENTS Ut
TERANCEs ON SUBJECT.
Negotiation of Treaties Declared to
Have a Most Encouraging Effect
and Influence Not Lost.

LAKE MOHONK, N. Y. June 1.-The fol-
lowing is the address of Henry B. F. Mac
farland of the board of Commissioners of
the District of Columbia before the confer
ence here the subject of international ar
bitraton:
President Roosevelt. friend OF internal
tional Justice, fully met the hopes of the
last Mohonk conference by ASKING for an
other Hague conference and presenting to
the Senate ten obligatory arbitration treat
les. And the Senate ratified every one of
these treaties, but with an amendment whith
required that in each individual a new
treaty should be submitted to the Sena e
and ratified before the arbitration could he
had. Thereupon the President with the
cordial assent of Secretary Hay, filed the
| amended treaties in the State Department,
thinking it unwise to ask the other parties
to the treaties to accept the amendment and
exchange ratiflcations. The Senate he'll
that a step forward had been taken. T1e
President stated that to confirm the treaties
as amended would be step backward. T lie
| friends of international arbitration divid ID
or the question but it seems evident tn at
the cause of International arbitration vas
not on the whole set back, if it was not ad-
vanced. Certainly, the negotiation of t ne
| treaties by the President has a most en-
couraging effect, and it's happy influen ce
will not be lost.
| The United States. which brought about
the establishment of The Hague tribur al
| and brought the first cases before it. was
once more given unique distinction by con-
Guiding the largest number of compulsory
arbitration treaties ever secured at one time
The treaties were with Great Britain Ger
many, France, Italy, Austria Hungary,
Sweden and Norway, Switzerland Spain
Portugal and Mexico. They were practical
ly duplicates of the treaties concluded by
Great Britain with France and other coun-
tries and copies of one another. They pro-
Vided:
Reference to The Hague.
First, that difference of legal nature re-
lating to the Interpretation of treaties
which diplomacy could not settle should he
| referred TO The Hague tribunal. provided
that did not affect the vital interests, the
independence or the honor of the two con-
tracing states or the interests of third
| parties
Second. that in each Individual case a
special agreement should be concluded de
| lining clearly the matter in dispute the
scope of the powers of the arbitra tors and
| the periods to be fixed for the formation
! of the arbtral tribunal and the several
| stages of the procedure. Each treaty was
| to last five years.
! In submitting them to the Senate Presi-
! dent Roosevelt said:
| These conventions do not go so far
l would wish in scope and object. but they
form, taken together, very important step
| In the progress of the world toward a pol
| icy of peaceful solution of such differences
| as cannot conveniently be settled by diplo-
| matte negotiat tons. Their very limitations
| which seem Objectionable to many advo-
Gates of a policy of arbitration, are not
| without compromising advantages. They
commit none Of the contracting parties to
any action in opposition to their national
interests, their policy or their aspirations.
Their principal value is that they constitute
| a considerable advance in the direction of
the purpose ardently desired-of the
| reign of universal peace and good WILL"
| The majority of the committee for
| eign relations reported to the Senate in
| fay or of ratifying the treaties with the
| change of a single word, but that of the
| first Importance. because the purpose of
| the treaties was defeated. The amendment
changed the word agreement to treaty.
| so as to make 1t certain that the Senate
would have the opportunity to pass upon
| each individual case, instead of giving the
President general power, within the limita-
| tons of the general treaty, TO send par
tcular differences to The Hague tribunal
without delay and without again consult
| ing the Senate. Two members of the COM
mittee, in an elaborate report opposed the
ratificat ton of the treaties altogether, claim
ing that The Hague treaty was all that
was necessary. and that obligatory arbitra-
ton was undesirable. When it became
known that the Senate was likely to amend
the treaties as suggested by the committee
on foreign relations President Roosevelt
wrote a semi-otticial letter to the chairman
of the committee foreign relations, in
which he said