The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-04

without any restriction"
 In view of the fact that a result of the discussion the vote upon the deflnite 1 treaty of obligatory arbitration, which | was proposed, stood 32 in favor to 9
 against the adoption of the treaty, there | can be little doubt that the great ma l jority of the countries of the world have | reached a point where they are now ready | to apply practically the principles thus 1 unanimously agreed upon by the confer l ence.
 The second advance and a very great | one is the agreement which relates to Sne | use of force for the collection or con- ! tract debts. Your attention Is invited | to the paragraphs upon this subject in my 1 message of December, 1906, and to the l resolution of the third American confer | ence at Rio in the summer of 1906. The | convention upon this subject adopted by
 the conference substantially as proposed | by the American delegates Is as follows
 Tn order to avoid between nations
 armed conflicts of a purely pecuniary
 origin arising from contractual deots
 claimed of the government of one country by the government of another eouptry to
 be due to It's nationals, the signatory i powers agree not to have recourse to armed force for the collection of such | contractual debts
 However. this stipulation shall not be | applicable when the debtor state refuses | or leaves unanswered an offer to arbitrate
 or, in case of acceptance. makes 1t i'm possible to formulate the terms of sub mission or after arbitration, falls to comply with the award rendered.
 | Tt is further agreed that arbitration here contemplated shall be in conformity, as to procedure, with Chapter III of the
 convention for the Pacific settlement of international disputes adopted at The
 Hague, and that it shall determine, in so far there shall be no agreement be- l tween the parties, the justice and the
 amount of the debt. the time and mode
 of payment thereof"
 l Such a provision would have prevented
 much injustice and extortion in the ~Sst
 and I cannot doubt that it's effect in the | future will be most salutary.
 l A third advance has been made in
 amending and perfecting the convention
 of 1899 for the voluntary settlement of | international disputes, and particularly l the extension of those parts of that con l ventlon which relate to commissions of | injury. The existence of those provisions 1 enabled the governments of Great Britain
 and Russia to avoid war, notwithstand- | ing great public excitement, at the time l of the Dogger Bank incident, and the | new convention agreed upon by the con
 ference gives practical effect to the expe-
 rience gained In that inquiry.
 Substantial progress was also made to- 1 wards the creation of a permanent judi
 cial tribunal for the determination of in- l ternational causes. There was very full | discussion of the proposal for such a
 court and a general agreement was finally reached in favor of its creation. The 1 conference recommended to the signatory | powers the adoption of a draft upon 1 which 1t agreed for the organization of l the court, leaving to be determined only 1 the method by which the judges should | be selected. This remaining unsettled | question Is plainly one which time and | good temper will solve.
 | further agreement of the first im- | portance was that for the creation of an l international prize court. The constitu-
 ton, organization and procedure of such | tribunal were provided for In detail. | Anyone who recalls the in1ustices under | which this country suffered as a neutral | power during the early part of the last 1 century cannot fail to see in this provis- | ion for an international prize court the 1 great advance which the world Is making | towards the substitution of the rules of l reason and justice in place of simple | force. Not only will the international | prize court be the means of protecting | the interests of neutrals. but 1t is in itself | step towards the creation of the more | general court for the hearing of interna- l tional controversies to which reference | has just been made. The organization | and action of such prize court cannot 1 fail to accustom the different countries l to the submission of international ques- 1 tions to the decision of an international
 tribunal, and who may confidently ex- | pect the results of such submission to
 bring about a general agreement upon
 the enlargement of the practice
 | Numerous provisions were adopted for l reducing the evil effects of war and for 1 defining the rights and duties of neu- l trals.
 The conference also provided for the 1 holding of a third conference within a l period similar to that which elapsed be-
 tween the first and second conferences. | The delegates of the United States
 worthily represented the spirit of the
 American people and maintained with f. | delity and ability the policy of our gov | ernment upon all the great questions dis ] cussed in the conference.
 l The report of the delegation. together | with authenticated copies of the conven- 1 tions signed, when received, will be laid 1 before the Senate for it's consideration. When we remember how difficult it is 1 for one of our own legislative bodies, | composed of citizens of the same coun- 1 try. speaking the same language, living | under the same laws, and having the | same customs, to reach an agreement or | even to secure a majority upon any diff l cult and important subject which Is pro- l posed for legislation. 1t becomes plain that l the representatives of forty-fve different 1 countries, speaking many different lan- | guages, accustomed to different methods | of procedure, with widely diverse inter-
 ests. who discussed so many different sub 1 jects and reached agreements upon so i many. are entitled to grateful apprecia- | tion for the wisdom, patience and mod | eraton with which they have discharged 1 their duty The example of this temper l ate discussion, and the agreements and | the efforts to agree, upon representatives 1 of all the nations of the earth. acting with
 universal recognition of the supreme ob- ! ligation to promote peace, cannot fail to
 be powerful influence for good in future ] international relations.
 Cuba.
 A year ago in consequence of a l revolutionary movement in Cuba, | which threatened the immediate re- | turn to chaos of the island the
 United States intervened sending down
 an army and establishing a pro- | goon. Absolute quiet and prosperity have 1 returned to the island because of this l action. We are now taking steps to pro- 1 vide for elections In the Island and our | expectation is within the coming year to 1 be able to turn the island over again ] to government chosen by the people l thereof. Cuba Is at our doors. It is not | possible that this nation should permit | Cuba again to sink into the condition I from which we rescued it. All that we | ask of the Cuban people Is that they be | prosperous, that they govern themselves | so as to bring content. order and progress | to their island, the Queen of the Antilles: