The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-07-30
The Drugo Doctrine and oa.tro,s.

As If the Drago doctrine, which on
the face Of it originally seemed to
have the best possible chance of get
ting itself incorporated in one form
or another in the final agreements of
the Hague conference, had not en-
countered trouble enough because of
the complications Of Interstate poll
tics in South America, the abandon
ment of Drago himself by his own
government and seeming purpose to
nulllfy the principle as embodied in
the Porter amendment by overlooking
the latter with further amendments,
President Castro Of Venezuela now
projects himself into the discussion.
According to the action which 1t is
feared the czar of Venezuela pro-
poses to take with respect to the out
standing claims against his coun-
try, as determined and defined by the
permanent Hague tribunal, there
might as well never be a Drago doc
trine in operation.
In whatever form, it is declared, in
terms Of Calvo, Drago or Porter or
as may be finally established by ac-
oeptance and signature of all the ma
tons, the doctrine rests on the as
sumption that the collection of con-
tractual debts is not proper ground
for a warlike demonstration in be-
half Of foreign creditors. 1t Is adj
mitted by the creditor nations, as as
serted by the debtor nations that such
debts may often represent usuary OF an
indefensible kind that investors take
long chances at high rates with their
eyes open. Accordingly there has
been in evidence at the Hague a
rather cordial response to the sug-
gestion that arbitration which has al
ready worked we'll to adjudlcate claims
assumed by nations on behalf of their
citizens, the Alabama case being
always in evidence be settled upon
as q last resort and that eonsidera-
ton of the influence of battleships to
declare Judgment and execute it SIM
ultaneously be forever abandoned.
| The reported purpose of Venezuela
to repudiate the judgment of arbi-
| tration in two cases of record seems
to raise the whole question In new
form. Instead of resorting to force,
the nations standing sponsor for these
claims with others, agreed with Venez-
uela to refer them to the Hague tri-
unal. Now Venezuela refuses to ac-
cept Judgment precisely as she re-
Elected the claims as determined in
the first instance by the nations i'm
imediately interested. The arbitration
court evidently has no power of exc
cution or authority of any kind in the
matter. The last state of the case
thus seems to be at least as bad as
the first. From this concrete illustra-
ton of a possibility that both friends
and opponents of the Drago doctrine
have undoubtedly foreseen, the prob
lem presents itself of what to do, if
the doctrine is written into the law OF
nations, when a recalcitrant State,
/ freed from the annoyance OF having
hattleships come to collect, repudiates
the Judgment of peaceful arbitration.
1t looks as if President Castro had
given the Hague conference something
different to think about from what the
President Of the conference at the out
SCI CT its deliberations referred to as
liri6escent dreams.
Meantime a fiery editor in Caracas
| comes forward with a proposal that