Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1906-07-21

The Bureau OF American HepuOilcs
was created and is now doing useful
work An advance was made toward
general reciprocity though the pro-
ject has even yet failed to reach
fruiton A monetary commission was
had with sensible benefit to the cur
rency relations of the American re-
publics. The metric system moved
ahead another step; being authorized
in the customs service of the United
States and other countries. These
were all valuable achievements, but
there was more to be done and the
conference recommended that the
work be carried forward by another
congress.
This second conference was held
in the city of Mexico. 1901-02. While
many Of its recommendation have
not yet been generally carried into
effect, this second gathering also vas
productive of good. What was accom-
plshed was this: the approval of
Guatemala. Salvador, and Honduras of
all the 23 instruments signed
at the Hague. the approval of the Uni
ted States of the convention for the
exchange of publications: the treaty
on pecuniary claims and the scheme
for the reorganization of the Bureau
of American Republics, the approval
by several of the South and Central
American nations of some of the most
important of the treaties proposed by
the second conferences; subsequent
congresses which adopted regulations
for the improvement of customs rela-
tions; sanitation of American port cit
les and the regulation of the coffee
growing industry. But this confer
ence also left behind u unfinished
work, hence. the gatlIe n 4 at Rio de
Janeiro
The City of Mexico conference
felt that the ten-year period proposed
by the original conference for the
holding of such family gatherings was
too long and proposed five year pc
riod.
So the Rio conference opens under
| the most promising auspices with the
purpose OF considering a program full
I ly equal in Importance to that which
was laid before any of the preceding
/ gatherings. Injected into this pro-
gram. after il had been practically
completed at a preliminary meeting
of an international committee held in
Washington last winter, was one lit
/ tie article-IV-that is perhaps likely
/ to give rise TO more controversy and
excite more feeling and be generally
of greater importance than any other
article. This concerns the interesting
DragO doctrine. itself an outgrowth b
/ of DR.. Calyo's famous dictum, invOly-
| ing the right of a nation to use force
] 1r ~ n
Of public debts. In the program this
takes the form of the proposition to
allow the Hague conference to de-
termIne this important question and
"a many of the South American
debtor nations are bitterly opposed 10
allowing the creditor nations OF Eu-
rope 10 pass upon this vital doctrine
a bitter discussion is expected when
the subject comes mp before the third
conference.
Reorganization Of the Bureau of
| American Republics so as TO greatly
enlarge the usefulness of that insti
tuition is the very first article Of the
! program. It is proposed TO erect a
magnificent building i'm Washington
/ for its accommodation: TO open a
commercial museum in connection
Herewith and a suggestion based
largely upon Latin American suspic-
ion, to limit the life of the bureau tC
a ten-year period. Some of the ma
tions have failed TO supply their pre-
rata assessments for the maintenance
OF the bureau with regularity-thls is
! 10 be corrected.
Strong effort is 10 be made TO bring
about unanimous action of the Amer
/ lean republics to agree TO settle by
arbitration all future disputes arising
! between them, and TO endeavOr tC
have the approaching Hague confer
ence apply this principle generally tC
the nations of the world.
The United States and several 9TH
/ er American republics were signatO-
ries 10 a treaty providing for the ar
! bitration OF pecuniary claims alone
This was an outgrowth of the MeXi-
can conference and promises well, Sc
the Rio conference Is to be asked Il
extend its operations for another five
year period.
An almost impossible task is 10 be
set for a committe OF jurists Of high
irepute who are charged with the du-
ty of drafting "a code Of public inter
national law and private information
al law" for this is by no means an
exact science at the present moment
and the greatest variance exists be-
tween the different schools Of inter
national lawyers Still it is hoped
that If the complete code cannot be
secured al least agreement may be
had upon some useful principles Of
| International law
The conference Is 10 endeavor tC
limit the period-it is suggested u
two years-within which a naturally
ed citizen may remain in the country
OF his nativity without forfeiting his
naturalization. Latin America has al
ways been Jealous Of these returned
citizens and they have given the
United States much rrOuble. so thai
the subject is even now being consid-
cred by a special board meeting al
the state department In Washington