The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-12-24
UNIVERSAL PEACE
GROWING NEARER
THE NETHERLANDS SIXTH NATION
TO ACCEPT ARBITRATION
PROPOSAL.
MUST AWAIT INQUIRY
WAR Forbidden UNDER TREATY
UNTIL NEGOTIATIONS LOOK
ING TO PEACEFUL soLU-
TIoN PROVES FAILURE.
MUST AWAIT INQUIRY

II 8RSflNtION, Dec. ~ - w men
Secretary of State William Jennings
Bryan and Chevalier w. l.. &c. Van
Rappard, minister to the United States
for the Netherlands. affixed their
signatures to a general peace and ar
bitration treaty on December 18th,
there was recorded the sixth success
1 full step of President Wilson and Sec
rotary Bryan In their attempt to link
H the civilized world together for uni
4 versal peace. Thus, In nine months,
H despite real opposition on the part of
4 many members of the United States
senate, the administration has made
what are regarded as wonderful
strides toward universal peace and
put to rout war lords and territory
4 aggrandizers.
II The six treaties negotiated, signed
and sent to the United States senate
for ratification are: Tho Netherlands,
4 signed December 18th: Nicaragua,
December nth Honduras. November
Bird; Panama and Guatemala, Septem-
Der goth; Salvador. August eth. All OF
the treaties, with the exception Of the
I ono with the Netherlands. are the
same.
What the Treaty Provides.
The treaty-ANxith the Netherlands,
which Is tho first of the kind to be
/ signed by European power. provides,
| in substance:
The high contracting parties agree
/ that all disputes between them. OF
every nature whatsosvec. to the settle
snent Of which previous arbitration
| treaties or agreements dc not apply
in their terms or are not applied in
fact, shall, when diplomatic meth
/ DDS Of adjustment have failed. be re-
terred for investigation and report
/ to a permanent international COM
mission. and they agree not to de-
clare war or begin hostilities during
such investigation and before the re,
/ port Is submitted
/ The international commission shall
| be composed OF Ave members to be
/ appointed as follows: One member
shall be chosen from each country by
! the government thereof; one member
shall be chosen by each government
| from some third country: the NTH
member shall be chosen by common
! agreement between the two govern
ments 1t being understood that he
/ shall not be citizen of either country.
The international commission
shall be appointed within six months
| after the exchange Of the ratification
-th+&-tr eat E---
In Force for Five Years.
I'm case the high contracting parties /
shall have failed to adjust dispute by
diplomatic methods they shall at once
refer 1t 10 the international commits
sion for investigating and report. The
| international commission may. how
| ever, spontaneously offer Its services
to that effect, and in that case shall
notify both Governments and request
their cooperation in the investigation
THE report Of the international
commission shall be completed within
one year after the date on which II
shall declare it's investigation to have
begun, unless the high contracting
parties shall limit or extend the time
by mutual consent
THE high contracting parties re-
serve the right to act Independently on
the subject matter OF the dispute after /
the report OF the commission shall
have been submitted
II Is also provided that the treaty
shall remain in force for five years. |
and shall thereafter remain In force |
until twelve months after either the
United States or the Netherlands has
given notice to the other of an inten-
ton to terminate ii.
Difference Between Treaties
One difference between the Neither /
/ lands treaty and the others nego- /
tiated is; The contracting parties In i
the Netherlands treaty agree that the 1
fifth member of the international COM
/ m 1SSlon shall be chosen from some
other country. and the other treaties !
assert that the NTH member OF the
comm .ssion shall be chosen merely
by common agreement between the
two governments" Another differ +
euce is: The international commits /
sion shall be appointed within four
months " The Netherlands treaty /
makes ii mandatory to appoint the /
commission in six months
The last and most important differ |
ence il that relating TO the military !
activity of the high contracting par
ties The Netherlands treaty pro- I
vides that pending the investigation |
the contracting parties agree not to |
declare war or begin hostilities dur t
ing the Investigations OF the commits |
sion. The other treaties assert:
Pending the investigation and re-
port Of the International commission, I
the high contracting parties agree not |
to increase their military or naval pro- !
gram unless danger from a third |
power should compel such increase,
in which case the. party feeling itself /
menaced shall confdentially commu-
nicate the fact in writing to the other
contracting party. whereupon the lat
ter shall also be released from its OBJ
legation to maintain its military and I
naval status quo"