New-York tribune., 1909-02-15
COKTRARAND-

The report that tie International Naval Con-
ference had come TO an agreement on ali contrO-
verted questions appears TO have been preIna-
ture. II is a question whether individual in
terests viii permit unanimous agreement on all
subjects. There is grave reason for doubting if
they viii, and that is one of the considerations
which restrain thoughtful men from expecting
al international affairs TO be infallibly Tegu-
lated by international law Here, among our
own states. We have no uniformity OF state laws,
but each legisl&tes according TO its own special
Interests and there are certain interstate rela-
tioas which not even the federal government
controls, but in which each state is law unto
itself If that is the case, and the system pre-
walls without offence among the members Of this
Union. how much more is it likely, indeed GER
tain. TO remain the case among independent
nationss
The question Of the commercial status of cot
ton illustrates the Importance Of individual in
terests- Cotton is a commodity in which this
country is largely. perhaps supremely, interested
It is one of our chief products and leading arti-
cles OF export. II would therefore be seriously
detrimental to cur interests 10 have il declared
c0ntTaband Of war. so that in case of q maritime
war our exports Of ii 10 the beiligerent powers
would he stopped. On the other hand, there are
countries which are not particularly interested
IN +he cotton trade, but which perceive in cotton
nitions Of var, and for that reason would like
10 have il declared contrabsnd. 1t was the
privilege Of these latter TO plead for such classi
fcatiOn of Il. as ii was also the privilege and
duty CT the American delegates to stand reso-
lufely for exemption OF II from the contraband
list We are told that the American contention
has prevailed. in terms which are satisfactory
70 al trading powers. If so, that is cause for
sincere qualification
Tn Inc x--frl- -ha 0f
band the conference seems TO have harked back
10 Grotius and 10 have adopted his principles.
which. indeed, have been pretty generally recog-
nized by most nations, only each nation has re
served the right TO interpret and apply them in
sts own way. while now al enort is being made
20 prescribe some uniform Interpretation and
application which shall be compulsory upon all.
Thus Grotius divided ali articles OF commerce
into three classes: First. those which were al
ways eontrsband being useful only FOR purposes
of war: second. those which were never con-
tr2bsnd. being never useful for the special pur-
poses of war, and hind. those which might
Or might not be co1traband according to cir
cunstsnces. being useful in either war or peace.
Vow. 81 has net been easy 10 define precisely the
6rsT and second Of these classes. while upon the
1hi1d there has never been anything like general
agreement. Each nation has declared for itself
IN each war. what IL would regard as contraband
and as non-coBtTaband. and In the same war ma
tons have differed widely. and the same nation
tas differed widely in its own practice In diff
feTent wa7s. Indeed. the same nation in the
same war has regarded the same commodity in
one csse as contraband. and In another as non
contra band according 10 the character OF the
port r. which the cargo was consigned-a dis
tInction suggested by Grotius
We are told that the conference has drawn
~ three iistss the arrangement Of which is sat