The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-23

| would always be glad 10 see the ques-
lions of the justice of claims by one
state against another growing out of
individual wrongs or national obligations,
as well as the guarantees for the exeeu-
| ton of whatever award may be made,
! left to the decision of an impartial ar
bitral tribunal before which the litiga-
ting nations, weak and strong alike. may
/ stand as equals in the eye Of interna-
tional law and mutual duty.
Mr.. Ames to MIR. Hay.
Legation of the United States
Buenos Ayres, May 5, 1903,
Sir-I have the honor to inform you
that the favorable reception given by the
press of the United States to DR.. Dragos
! note are the collection of public debts
| by force has occasioned general salts
faction here. When I last called on DR..
Drago. he showed me some thirty or forty
articles relative to his note clipped from
leading papers of the United States and
sent him by the Argentine minister in
Washington. He was very much elated
over their favorable tone and pointed out
to me with manifest satisfaction certain
OF the more complimentary comments
The leading newspapers here have also
expressed their qualification at the IA
vorable reception accorded the note in
question by our press and have published
TRANSACTIONS of various excerpts therefrom.
Ia Nacion, In It's issue of Sunday, the
Sd instant, published an editorial which
embodied extracts from the New York
Sun. the New York Daily Tribune. the
St Louis Globe Democrat the Chicago
Inter-O Ocean, the Boston Journal, the At
| lanta Constitution, and other leading pa
pers, and which concluded with the fol-
| lowing paragraph
The previous extracts. which are far
| from being all we have, show in an OBJ
! ta1, f1,A Arr
| tine note of December % has awakened in
the American people and the support
which the doctrine II expounds has found
ir that country for the most part. AS time
passes this support will become more
general and it will eventually lead the
| American government to declare itself
| definitely in favor of our doctrine 1t s
| highly significant that among thousands
| of articles that have appeared in the Uni
ted States there is not one that shows OPP
position to the propositions contained in
the note referred to.
I cannot but feel that this sentiment
of satisfaction is reflected in a friendier
attitude toward America and Americans
on the part of the general public here.
Such impressions are, I know, often err
roneous, but 1t seems to me that l notice
a general increase of cordially toward
us 1t may have no value commercially
or otherwise, but 1t seems worthy of cul-
tivation I have etc,
EDWARD WINSLOW AMES,
Charge d Affaires ad Interim.
Extract from message to Argentine Con-
! gress by the President of the republic
| May 4. 1903.
Much emotion was felt In America in
| consequence of the Intervention of some
| European nations in Venezuela, one cause
| alleged for 1t being the omission to meet
| the service of the debt contracted by that
nation in order to carry out some public
works This led to the suppositlon that
! when foreign citizens or subjects con-
| tracted for loans of a public character
| the state 10 which they belong is also
party to the operations, although the
| lenders might not have relied upon that
| Intervention and might have calculated
the circumstances of the borrowing coun-
| try in sorder to fix the conditions of the
! Loan A private contract would thus be
| converted into an international obligation
| This appeared to me to be the enunciation
1 of a dangerous doctrine, to which | ought
not to remain Indifferent The note, in
which this government made known to the
United States its opinions upon the matter
| has already been made public. merely
pointed out the dangers to the nations of
| this continent involved in the doctrine By
virtue of which loans of public char
acter contracted for by foreigners, after
taking into account the conditions of the
more or less onerous stipuations and in
terest, can be converted at a given mo-
ment, without any exhibition of bad faith
on the part of the debtor. into cause Of
international complaint authorizing the
| employment of force and the subordina-
tion and tutelage of the local govern
| ments. II not their total disappearance as
the result of financial interventions.
AT first the comments made upon this
| communication, before its exact terms
| were known, were not generally favor
able to 1t, but afterwards there was a
reaction of public opinion, as well in Eu-
| rope as in America, and 1t was recognized
as being justified and 1t was admitted
| that in the circumstances of the case we
! could assume no other attitude. The Ar
/ gentine note was, in reality, confined to
| the enuneiaton of elementary principles
including the indsputable rights of these
| nationalites to grow and be developed IN
der the shelter of international law Its
| doctrine does not exclude any of the OBJ
legations which that law imposes upon
civilized peoples; IL does not recognize su-
| prema cies or lessen responsibilities. Limit
/ ing itself to assert the sovereignty of ma
lions. IL expresses at the same time the
! commotion and alarm which would be
| produced by any act of colonization or
! conquest in any region of the continent.
The reply of the United States comedies.
! In substance, with these declarations and
recommends international arbitration for
settling questions which may arise in
| reference to national obligations. Though
1t has not stated its policy with regard
to the compulsory recovery of public debts
! (Which 1t was not in any way asked to
| do). it is satisfactory to state that the
Argentine note has not fallen into a
| vacuum, but that authoritative and elo-
| cuent speeches have been delivered. even
in the British parliament, in support of
| our doctrine.
1t is understood in fact, that the re-
| public has not gone in search of pro-
| tectors or alliance, but has merely stated
| it's views respecting European interyen-
| tons in a section of this continent which
| has been convoked more than once to
hear the opinion of its states and to es-
| tablish the consequent basis of a common
| right.
The Fundamental Doctrine and Its
Faults.
! II the Drago doctrine is to Re approved
as a sound principle of international law.
| 1t becomes important to know more Of
| the details of the fundamental or Calvo
| doctrine. upon which it is built. The sub