The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-06-17

peaceful settlement. In 1871 a high joint con1mission met in Washington to consider the various disputes be- tween the Unitetd States and Canada and England. Sir Stafford North cote and ERr1ede Grey and Rtpon rep resented the London government, Sir John Macdonald looked after Cana dian interests, and Hamilton Fish, Secretary of State, headed the diplo- matic forces of Uncle Sam. Under the treaty of Washington the Alabama. claims were submitted to an arbitra- tton tribunal, to be composed of five members selected by the President, Her 1Ga5esty's government, the King of Italy, the Emperor of Brazil, and the President of Switzerland.
 The arloitrators convened for hear ing in room in the Geneva town hall which has since been called "SaIIe de fAlabams,'e < and which is entitled to the designation of the "cradle of in ternatto1aa arbitration" Frank War ren Hackett, who was senior counsel for the United States before the Ge- neva Tribunal, has written a book on the subject, in which he describes the principal actors in this historic world drama:
 .~rhe president, Count s0Iopts, (the Italian member of the tribunal), a man past seventy years of age, was of 6 large frame and of a courteous and dignided manner. Upon his right sat JacQQuSS 0LaSl4P111 OI the O<A4IOA of Bern. at three separate times pres tdent of the Swiss Confed eration; stout and reso1ute plain Of feature. his nien indicating a resolute inde- pendence-a man of the stuff which Carlyle would have had his heroes. Baron (soon to be Vfscount) d'Itajuba of Brazil, an embodim ent of gentle ness, small, slender and of an unusual ly refined appearance. Ills gold bowed glasses gave to htms the look of col- lese professor, as indeed he had once been, while the warm co1oring in his face told of the climate of his native country. He looked to be an accom- pliahed, well bred man of the world. At the extreme right sat Mir. Charles Francis Adams, short of stature of a rudoy complexion, and quite bald He bore himself as one who was per- fect1y self-contained His resemblance to his dfsti nguished father. President John Quincy Adams. as seen in we'll known portraits. did not seem at all imaginary.
 .'The Lord Chief Justice of Eng land, Sir Alexander Cockburn, occu- pying the end sent to the presidents left. was man whose like Is not stature, and of a. complexion some what ruddy. He had a. head like a bullet and the eye of an eagle. Quick and nervous, his unceasing activity was in marked contrast to the almost rigid deneanor of MT. Adams
 ssOf the five Cockburn was by far the most fntetresti figure. Ills form, his glorious countenance and his ac- tivfti es must confess fill the largest place in my memory of the confer ence."
 Such, as seen by keen American observer, were the men to whom were given the task of saving two great and kindred nations from war; set ting an example for all the world to follow. By their deciston-aga1ns which the Lord Chief Justice of Eng land protested vigorously-the United States was awarded the sum Of s15,- 500, coo as damages. which sum Eng land promptly paid. Sir Alexander Cockburn did not show a very sport ing spirit at the conclusion Of the con- ference and, while the other mem bers were conEratu1ating each other over the triumph of peace over war. the British arbitrator ''snatched up his hat and without participating in the leave -takings around him, without a word or sign of courteous recogni- tionNfor any of his colleagues. rushed to the door,
 Ut was the Geneva Tribunal which made possible The Hague Tribunal, and established a precedent for the recent mediation conference in Can ada