Woodruff County news., 1907-06-13
THE HAGUE CONFERENCE Will Convene Next Saturday-Draao
 Doctrine Will Be Considered.

Washington, June-On the eve of the second Hague conference which assemblies next Saturday the part played by America in bringing about this great international gathering and the nature of the instructions to our delegates who are to participate in the congress have become matters of great interest. A few postponements of the second meeting prolonged diplo- matic wrangles over the subjects to be included i'll the program under which the conference will be cOrduct- ed, have in a measure obscured the be- ginning of the movement for the reas sembllng of the conference, so that there is not perhaps general apprecia- tion of the important part played by tho Washington government in initiat- ing the movement. For the fact is that America really caused the invi- tation to the second Hague conference to be eXtenedd to the world, though the document was actually issued later | by the Russian government.
 Of the first order of importance, in the heeting, according to the Ameri- can view, is the proposal that improve ments be made in the provisions of the existing convention relative to peace full settlement of international dis putes as regards the court of arbitra- tion and the international commission of inquiry The instructions of the | American delegates on this point are known to be explicit. They are to do everything in their power to influence the conference to enlarge the powers of the permanent Hague tribunal in | dealing with arbitration cases. Above all, the effort is to be made to bring more business before the tribunal; to 1 induce nations to have more frequent recourse to this tribunal for the set clement of their disputes.
 Three of the four cases submitted to the tribunal thus far were of American origin. In other words, although se- rious international disputes have aris- en and been adjusted Automatically and by force of arms since the crea- tion of The Hague Tribunal America and Great Britain have been the only | parties to resort to arbitration.
 Originating with America the ia nous Drago doctrine as it will be pre- sented in a modified form to the sec ond Hague conference, not as one o1 the articles of the set program, but as one for optional discussion, must, Of course. be urged with all the ability of the trained diplomatists of the American delegation. It will be pre- sented by them that the attempt to collect debts duo the citizen of one na- tion by the government of another has had most deplorable consequences; that it results in the subjugat!on of weaer nations. that all principles of justice are violated and that unscrupu- lous claimants find opportunities to collect enormous sums in excess of their reasonable claims.
 The American proposition is sure to encounter strong opposition from the European creditors, but it will be urg- ed as matter of justice. It is scarce ly expected that any complete agree ment can be reached to refrain from the exercise of force where a debtor nation is clearly guilty of fraud and bad faith in it's dealings with credl- tors. but it is hoped that the confer once may be induced to restrict to very narrow limits the exercise force in such cases The American delegates will urge that nearly ;Sl of these claims are proper subjects for abritra- ton, whereby exorbitant demands ot relentless creditors may be modified and be reduced by impartial judges.