New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-04-27
WOULD ARB|TRATE TOLLS
Duty Of u. S., Say Speakers at
International Law Meetinu.
REPEAL OF ACT URGED
Nation Under Moral Obligation
to Great Britain to Mediate,
Is Opinion.

Washington, April 8-Both in set
speeches and discussion, speakers at to-
days meeting OF the American Society
Of International Law maintained that the
United States was under a moral as we'll
as international obligation TO submit he
Panama Canal tolls controversy TO arb!-
tration. IL also was held by several OF
the speakers that Congress should ~ once
repeal the tolls exemption act and submit
the subject to a diplomatic negotiation.
Hannis Taylor, formerly Minister 20
Spain, declared that upon the settlement
Of the controversy hinged the century-old
friendship between the United States and
Great Britain, and voiced An earnest plea
TO Congress TO repeal the tolls act 10
permit diplomatic adjustment.
Amos s. Hershey, professor OF internal
tional law at the University of Indiana.
was another speaker who desired TO see
the question submitted to arbitration. lie
said that unless Congress sees At to re-
peal that part OF the Panama Canal act
regarding the exemption OF coastwise
tolls the United States is under an I'M
doubted international obligation 10 enter
arbitrate the controversy"
I'm view of the long and honorable his
tory of the United States" declared
Thomas Raeburn White. of Philadelphia,
"as a leader in the movement for the
substitution OF system of international
judicature for the present unsatisfactory
methods Of settling international disputes,
1t is particularly appropriate that the op-
portunity should have been presented II
to establish such a precedent. Ii would
be unworthy OF the United States TO rely
upon what must be deemed technical
reason for declining TO arbitrate. and II
is TO be hoped that the State Department
will not persist in the attitude which has
beer assumed and will embrace the or
portunity OF creating precedent sus-
tanning the proposition that IL is not
necessary In international law that injury
should actually be suffered before JUS
ticiable action arises"
A letter from the late Professor John
Westlake Of London. was read. II was
of similar tenor. except that Westlake
maintained IL was necessary that an
injury he actually sustained before jus
ticiable action arises"
The discussion that followed was par
,icipated in by Edmund =. Trabuc. OF
Louisville: Professor y. -. Harris OF
Chicago. and General Peter 6. Haynes.
l. S. 4. (retiredD.
These officers we're elected for the com
ins year:
President Elihu Root Of New York Il:
vice presidents Chief Justice White ms
tice William T. Day. Phllander {. Knox.
Andrew Carnegie. Joseph H. Choate, John
W. Foster. George Gray. William H. Taft.
William W. Marrow. Richard Olney. Ho--
ace Porter oscar s. Straus. Jacob NJ.
Dickinson and William j. Bryan. Jam, :
Brown Scott was reelected secretary and
Chandler =. Anderson treasurer
Tonight dinner was held. which
closed the meeting
one Of the dinner speakers Wa Min
lister Loudon OF the Netherlands. who dis
cussed the creation Of a permanent court
Of international law at The Hague in
place Of the present Hague tribunal. \
court OF this kind had been advocated he
said. but the difficulty heretofore had been
tho selection Of tho Judges TO form H.
From this he entered upon tho estab-
lishmont of an academy OF international
law. the first session of which j. to he
held this summer at The Hague. Should
this first session be success an cndov-
ment Of more than 81 ,no,1H has been
promised by Andrew Carnegie for a build
ing and the necessary chairs on interna-
,ional law subjects.