The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-17
VENEZUELA REFUSES TO PAY
REPUDIATES HAGUE AWARD or
S2,OOO,O 900 TO BELGIUM.
Belgian Foreign Minister Hints AT Coercion
Hague Conference Discusses DragO
Ideas and Postpones Action LOndon
''Times'' Calls ON Roose, cit to Act.

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Special Cable Dispatches % TIE sun.
BRUSSELS. July I8.-In the Chamber of
Deputies to-day NJ. D'Avisnon. Minister
OF Foreign Affairs. confirming Venezuela's
announced intention not to abide by the
Hague tribunals award c~ondemning her
TO pay 81 200. 900 to her Belgian creditors.
the Government would consider measures
and spare no effort to protect Belgian in
terests.
He added that the cause of arbitration
cution Of the award, against which there
is no appeal.
The HAGUE, July l6.-The first commits
sion Of the peace conference devoted the
afternoon session to consideration Of the
American proposal forbidding c~oercive
action for the recovery Of public contractual
debts. including dividends on bonds. until
arbitration is INVOKED
Gen Porter, in a long speech delivered
fuently i'm French. declared that the forcible
recovery Of debts was contrary to modern
spirit. II was Americas object. ne said,
to prevent usurious contracts from causing
dangerous interventions. which constituted
an evil for both debtors and creditors.
Arguing that the game was not worth the
candle he instsnced a case where IL, 900. 900
francs were spent in collecting a debt Of
half a million.
He cited the opinions of Lords PaImerston
and Salisbury, Mr.. Balfour. Hamilton Fish,
Bayard and Roosevelt against c~oercive
measures and pointed out that If force were
abolished the debtor countries would I'M
derstand that their credit could only pro-
coed from good order in their finances
VI. Prozor. a Russian delegate supported
the proposal. He said he welcomed the
initiative Of America. where right had al
ways been cultivated. He suggested. how
ever. that the proposal SHOULD not he ret
respective regarding existing contracts
based on the assumption that force could
he used to compel payment.
Venezuela moved an amendment for
bidding force even after arbitration.
Senior Drago. author Of the doctrine
bearing his name. which deals with the
matter under discussion. did not speak.
Sweden urged that the commission go
slow. Her delegates said the proposal was
one that required caution in dealing with II.
Gen. Porter q speech was brought forward
az part Of the general debate on the whole
question Of arbitration. DR.. Asser OF Hol-
land eloquently pleaded for making The
Hague a real international court. always
sitting. This was supported by several
other delegates.
The debate was adjourned until Thursday.
II il generally assumed that Gen. porter's
propose will not De adopted, but that the
whole question Will be Incorporated by the
editing committee in the proposal for com
pulsory arbitration.
LONDON. July l7.-venezuela 8 repudia-
ton of the Beglian award, coupled with
her submission to the Hague conference
yesterday of a proposal which would remove
henceforth all liability for her debts to any
body. moves the Times to remark editori-
ally that there is delightful impudence
about this simultaneous exploitation Of the
conference. that shrine Of arbitration. 1t
adds.
With all due sympathy for the United
States, which has been constantly led into
trouble by her unruly protege. it appears
10 VIZ that the moral responsibility lies
with her for the behavior OF the State to-
ward which she has shown special solicit
tude. Throughout the negotiations of 1905
she appeared as amicus curiR OF Venezuela.
The settlement was reached at Washing
ton, there the protocols were signed and
the execution of the aw ard was committed
to her.
Further. apart from all questions OF
treaties, the delicate problems arising from
the Monroe Doctrine and it's South Ameri-
can ofshoota make this a matter with which
il is particularly advisable the United States
should deal.
Gen. Porter had Just laid before the
conference a proposal that the powers take
no military or naval action &c compel the
repayment Of debts by the government OF
one country to the subjects Of another until
an offer Of arbitration has been made by
the creditor and refused or ignored or until
arbitration has taken place n the debtor
State has failed to conform to the award.
The relevance Of this proposal to South
American conditions and doubtless it's
origin in them are too plain 10 be ignored
now.
at is obvious that the willingness Of the
Powers to consent 10 what in any case would
constitute a serious limitation Of their
right of action depends largely upon the
Unified States accepting those RESPONSE
bilities which President Roosevelt has
more than once declared himself willing to
assume
The Venezuelan difficulty affords the
United States an excellent opportunity for
showing that in fact as we'll az in theory she
= -..IsQaI - AwarAtaa NhAna f,oattA.. -
which President Roosevelt claims a monop-
oily for her.