Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-12
TO ARB|TRATE DIFFERENCES
AGREEMENT BY CENTRAL
AMERICAN PEACE DELEGATES.
Making Provision for a Permanent
Court of Justice Of Five Mem
bers to Sit in Costa Rica.

The first formal outcome of the Central
American peace conference. now in prog
ress in this city. and probably the most
important to result from that conference.
was made public today in the form of
an abstract of the general treaty agreed
upon last night by the delegates. pro-
viding for the establishment of perma-
nenr court to settle all disputes that may
arise between the countries of Central
America in the future. The work of the
conference in this respect acquires an
Importance quite apart from that which
attaches to the conservation of peace in
Central America. for the reason that the
arrangement announced today will prob
ably if 1t should work satisfactorily. be
adopted as the basis for the creation of
the general International court contem-
plated in the declaration of the recent
Hague conference.
In outline, this Central American treaty
Is as follows:
THE high contracting parties. in order
to avoid the employment of force for the
settlement of disputes, agree to establish
the Central American court of justice, to
which they bind themselves to submit all
controversies or questions that might
arise between them of whatever nature or
origin, if the respective foreign depart
ments cannot settle them.
THE court shall also have jurisdiction
over such questions as individuals of one
against any of the contracting govern
ments on account of the violation OF
treaties. conventions and other cases of
international character, no matter
whether such individual government sup
ports his case or not, provided, of course
that he has exhausted his legal remedy
AFFORDED him by the law of the country
OF which he is complaining.
The court also has jurisdiction over
such cases as may be voluntarily sub
mitted by any two of the said govern
ments.
1T shall also have Jurisdiction over
such questions as any one of the Central
American governments may agree with
any foreign government to submit to it.
The court shall sit at Carriage, Costa
RIGA, but may change the. place of resi-
dence for sufficient reasons.
The court consists of five judges, one
named. by each republic from the most
prominent jurists. 1t rs Indispensable
that all five judges should sit in order to
constitute quorum. Substitute judges
are also named to fill vacancies in case
such should arise. One judge and two
substitutes to be named from each coun-
try. The salary of each judge shall be
$4,000, American gold. which shall be paid
from the treasury of the court. Judges
and substitutes to be named for five years
from the time that they take up the ex-
ercise of their duties, and they may be
reappointed. In case OF vacancy it shall
be filled in the same way as the original
appointment. and the judge appointed
shall complete the term of his prede-
cessor.
so long as the judges remain in their
own country they enjoy the immunities
which their laws afford the magistrates
of the supreme courts of justice of said
country, and when in any of the other
countries they shall enjoy the privileges
and immuntties of diplomatic agents
Judges and substitutes cannot exercise
their profession or discharge public duties
during the time of their office. At the
first annual session the court shall choose
their president and vice president and or
ganize their office.
Several articles of the treaty provide
for the technical procedure in order that
the court may assume Jurisdiction over
cases. Stipulated times for pleadings, etc,
are also set out Provision is also made
fol- the execution of the courts Judgments
The treaty is to remain in force for
the term of ten years. .'.----.r,
THE court is given full power to de-
termine its own jurisdiction