Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-21
KEEPS HANDS OFF
Society for Settlement OF Dis
putes Ignores Canal Issue.
TAFT HONORARY PRESIDENT
Joseph H. Choate Elected Actual
Head of Organization.
LAWYERS ARE PRAISED
Henry B. F. mcfarland Declares
They Have Done Most to Better
Administration of Justice.
TAFT HONORARY PRESIDENT
LAWYERS ARE PRAISED

| The executive committee of the Ameri
can Society for the Judicial Settlement OF
| International Disputes, now in confer
ence at the Willard Hotel, decided today
that no attempt shall be made by the
society to intervene with advice or reso
lutions directed at President Taft. urging
him to bring about an arbitration of the
Panama canal tolls question pending be-
| tween Great Britain and the United
| States.
| This action was taken by the commit
tee following the introduction at the
opening session of the conference last
night by Everett P. Wheeler a New
York attorney, urging such arbitration
| upon President Taft.
| 1t was announced at today's session OF
| the conference. which was presided over
| by Henry B. F. Macfarland. member
or the executive committee of the So
ciety, that in accordance with the prece-
dents OF the society. there is no way in
which the organization may adopt resolu-
tons in regard to the Panama canal or
any other specific question.
1t was pointed out that the members OF
the organization are in Washington In
conference FOR the specific purpose of dis
cussing only the need for and ways to
bring about the judicial settlement of in
ternational disputes. and that they have
no power to take action in regard to any
particular public question.
This exposition of the duties and pow
ers of the conference of the society met
with the approval of Mr.. Wheeler, and he
did not press for action on his resolution.
Officers Are Elected.
The committee on the nomination of
officers. headed by William B. Hornblower
of New York. brought in a report today
which was adopted by the society. result
ing in the following elections: William
Howard Taft. honorary president; Joseph
II. Choate. president: Charles W.. Eliot.
emeritus president of Harvard University.
vice president James Brown Scott, for
mer president of the society, secretary ;
j. G. Sehmidlapp, treasurer.
The following executive committee was
elected Joseph II. Choate. Charles w.
Eliot, Theodore Marburs, j. G. SchInld-
lapp. w. w. Winoughby. Henry B. F..
Macfarland. James Brown Scott. eX-
president: John Hays Hammond. eN-
president. and Simeon f.. Baldwin, ex-
president.
In opening today's session. Henry g.
T.. Macfarland said that lawyers have
done more than any other class of men
to improve the administration of justice,
and that lawyers should do more than
any other men to bring about the estab-
lishment of supreme court of the world
10 SettIe tHc uISputeS VI HdtiohS
Object Made Practicable. .
The object of this society" Mr.. Mac
farland said. in part. was made prac-
ticable by the acton of the last Hague
conference. i'm agreeing that such a court
should be established and in outlining in
detail its character and procedure.
The analogy. between a supreme court
settling disputes of the forty-siX nations
and our Supreme Court settling the dis
putes of the forty-eight sovereign states
is an obvious one. 1t viii bear closer eX-
animation than most analosies. DR..
James Brown Scott who has done more
than any other one man to promote the
plan for an international court of justice.
in his notable paper, The Evolution of
Permanent International Judiciary. has
clearly shown that the evolut on Of the
Roman court was from ,self-redress to
arbitration and from arbitration to n per
nanent judiciary. and that precisely the
same process occurred in the evolution
of our Supreme Court.
1.-THE thirteen original states. all indie
pendent sovereignties. practiced self-re-
dress occasionally by war. as to their
boundary and other disputes. until the
articles of confederation provided TOR
arbitration. which was invoked to settle
several such disputes. and which led d.
rcctIy to the provision in the Constitution
of 17ST for the adjudication of interstate
controversies by the Supreme Court, the
greatest of all the inteTvcntions of the
4 'f,llSt ttt,ti ion