The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-12
For the Fourth Session of Pan
American Congress
Which Will Meet i'm BuenOs
Ayres Next July.
MATTERS LEFT OVER
From Previous Meetings Will Be
Discussed.
Also Wireless Telegraphy and
Aerial Navigation.

| Washington, Nov. 12.-The fourth of
a series of great conferences that are
steadily Strengthening the bonds be-
| tween the republics of the Western
| hemisphere is to be held in Buenos
Ayres, Argentine republic, between the
18th and Goth of next July, and already
the Argentine government, which is to
be the host in this case, has been do
| ing much to prepare for the meeting.
The date originally fixed for the Fourth
International Conference of American
States was May Goth, 1910, but the fact
| that a great exposition was to be held
; in the same capital in that month
! which might overshadow the impor
tance of the international conference,
led to the poStponement of the latter
Moreover the month of July, being in
the middle of the Argentine winter, is
! certain to make the visit to Buenos
| Ayres more agreeable to the delegates
! from the north.
The governing board of the Bureau
| of American Republics already has dis
patched to every South and Central
American capital a tentative program
of the subjects to be considered by the
) conference and the various foreign Of
/ fees have been at work upon this WITH
the purpose of submitting objections or
| suggesting amendments. Much pro-
| gress has been made and it is hoped
! that it soon will be possible to promul-
| gate the final program, which, accord
| ing to present indications will not vary
considerably from that prepared by the
| board Of governors.
sPreceding Conferences.
The three preceding conferences have
moved along the lines of least resist
| ance; that is to say, the delegates have
adopted as basic principles such proIO-
sitfons as have secured the easy ad-
| hesion of the great majority but no eff
!
! of the states into acceptance of rules
i which, at first presentation, were OBJ
| noxious to them. Instead, when these
were of real Importance, they were
thoroughly debated and then remanded
for further consideration at the next
| conference. In this way the confer
ences have been made educational, and
| experience has shown that a sound
! proposition is almost certain to secure
adhesion So it happens that the
tentative program includes some sub
! jects that already have figured In the
debates of the preceding conferences.
] Thus for instance, will again come
up the subject of compulsory arbltra-
ton. While the Hague conference ac-
! cepted this in principle it declined to
! recommend general treaty OF arb1-
| tration, though strongly urging to the
states represented the making of
carry out the idea. The United States
already has done this with eleven of
/ the other American republics, and the
subject will come before the fourth
/ conference and receive further en-
couragement at the beginning of the
will be required to report what action
has been taken by their respective
governments to carry out the wish of
the third conference.
Steamship Lines.
Another project broached at pre-
ceding meeting which will be again
threshed out will be the establish
ment of steam navigation lines con-
Meeting the principal ports of the
American countries, on the basis of a
uniform system of contract.
The bureau of American republics
is to be strengthened and continued
+ for another ten year term of life at
the least and it is hoped that the COM
mission of international jurists will be
able to report something in the nature
of a code of international law that
will be adopted for the government of
the American, republics in their diplo-
matte relations. If this report is sat
isfactory the fourth conference will
embody in a treaty this basic code.
which is expected to have the hap
piest results in the settlement of any
disturbing questions that may arise in
the future between the republics
The Pan-American railway; postal
rates and parcel posts; a uniform sys-
tenn of collection of census and COM
mercial statistics and consular meth
DDS: supervision of food supply; the
protection of the public health, and
the regulation of rates of information
al exchange are other matters left by
preceding conferences for the con-
sideration of that which is to meet at
Buenos Ayres.
Aerial Navigation.
New and up-to-date subjects are
rx-ira fa1a nh al =.
ton, for it has begun to be realized
by the governing board that there
soon will be need of regulations for
the government of these new modes
of communication and travel An ef-
fort also will be made to arrive at
some sound basis of regulation of for
eign immigration and naturalization,
and to define real neutrality in time
of war.
/ An effort will be made to obtain the
cooperation of all the Pan-American
states with the Argentine national CEN
! tenary commemoration of independence
Most of the centenaries fall in or
| around 1910 The success of the inter-
change of professors and students be-
tween American and European univer-
stiles has resulted in the projection of
/ a plan for a similar exchange between
the American republics and finally, ar
participation of the republics in the
), ceremonies attendant upon the opening
of the Panama canal.
The prospects fer a successful con-
ference are bright in the opinion of
the officials of the bureau of Amer
4 lean republics. One cloud that threat
ened was the breach of relations be-
tween Argentine and Bolivia. But it
is believed that even if the efforts
now making to re-establish these re-
lations should prove abortive yet as
the host, Argentine on this occasion
would regard herself as the represen-
tative of all the American republics