The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-27
Declare United States Under
Obligation to Submit the
Matter to Arbitration
CONGRESS SHOULD
REPEAL TOLLS
Taylor Declares That Upon Settle
ment Hinges Century Old Friend
ship-Should Not Rely Upon
Technical Ruling

Washington. April 26.-Both in secret
sessions and conferences speakers at to-
days meeting OF the international Law
maintained that the united States was
under moral as well as international obi-
cation to submit the Panama tolls contro-
versy to arbitration. 1t also was held hy
several of the speakers that Congress
should at once repeal the tolls exemption
and submit the subject to diplomatic
negotiation.
Hannis Taylor, former minister TO
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 to per-
NIT diplomatic negotiations for an AMIGA
BILE adjustment of the question.
Amos S. Hershey. professor of interna-
tional law at the University of Indiana,
was another speaker who desired to see
| the question submitted to arbitration.
Establish Precedent
"Tn view of the long and honorable his
tory OF the United States,' declared
Thomas Rachburn White of Philadelphia,
''as a leader in the movement for the
substitution of system of international
judicature for the present United States
methods of settling international disputes,
it is particularly appropriate that the OPP
portunity should have been presented II
to establish a precedent. 1t would be un-
worthy of the United states 10 rely upon
what must be deemed a technical reason
for declining to arbitrate, and it is TO
be hoped that the state department will
not persist in the attitude which has been
assumed and will embrace the opportunity
of creating a precedent sustaining the
proposition that it is not necessary in in
ternational law that injury should ac-
tually be suffered before justifable ac-
ton arises.
a letter of similar tenor from the late
Prof. John wsaake OF n a was read,
but he maintained that 1t was necessary
that an injury be actually sustained be-
fore justifiable action arises"
The discussion that followed was par
ticipated in by Edmund r. Trabue of
Louisville, Ky. Prof. N. d. Harris of
Chicago, and Gen. Peter c. Haynes, o..
s. A., retired. These officers for next
year were elected:
President, Senator Elihu Root of New
York; vice presidents, Chief Justice
White, Justice William r. Day, Philan-
der C. Knox, Andrew Carnegie. Joseph
III. Choate, John w. Foster, George Gray.
William II. Taft. William w. Marrow,
Richard Olney, Horace Porter, Oscar s.
Strauss, Jacob M. Dickinson and William
]. Bryan.
James Brown Scott was reelected Sec
retary and Chandler p. Anderson treas
urer. Tonight banquet closed the meet
ing.
Creation of New Court
The creation of a permanent court of
international law at The Hague in
place of the present Hague tribunal
vas discussed tonight by Minister
Loudon of the Netherlands at ban
quet A court of this kind had been
advocated, he said, but the difficulty
heretofore had been the selection OF
tn. judges to form it.
From this he entered upon the es-
Enlistment of an academy OF inter-
national law, the first session of which
Is to be held this summer at The Hague
should this first session be a success
an endowment of moro than million
dollars has been promised by Andrew
Carnegie for building and the nee
cssary chairs on International law sub
jects.
Gregers W. W. Gram. minister OF
state of Norway, made an address oil
felicitation upon the excellent relations
existing between the United States and
Norway.
Prof Albert b. Hart of Harvard uni
versity deprecated the modern tendency
to violate international treaty obliga
tions upon the slightest pretext
other speakers were Representative
James J.. Sladen of Texas and Frederic
r. Coudert of New York.