New Britain herald., 1914-05-27
ARBITRATION TREATIES
 BACKWARD STEPS
Mediation Conference Remarkable Event in HemiSpheTe's History.
PEACE ASSOCIATION CONFINES
John Bassett Moore at Lake MohonK International Arbitration Assembly Praises Work of A. E. c, Powers 1l
 Trying to Settle Mexican Problem.

Trying to Settle Mexican Problem.
 Mohonk Lake N. Y, May 27.-The mediation of Argentine, Brazil and Chile in the Mexican situation and the apparent progress already made by the conference at Niagara Falls were pointed out by speakers at the Lake Mohonk conference on interna- tional arbitration today as the most encouraging sign of the present time in the cause of peace.
 John Bassett Moore of Columbia university, recently counsellor or the state department, who presided at the conference, said in his opening address that the mediation / of the "A. B, e. powers, no matter what may bed result, is a remarkable event in <&e history of international reia- tfons in the western hemisphere. Tt has been hailed" he said, "as the beginning of new Pan-American diplomacy, and it may at any rate be regarded as the most striking devel- opment yet witnessed of the Pan-- American movement which was ferm- ally inaugurated by the first interns- tional American conference at Wash ington in 1889 and 1S90." -,~
 Results Not Remarkable. . MT. Moore admitted that actual re- suits from arhftration during the past two years hadNnot been remarkable, and that the period had been marked by armed conflicts of exceptional de- StructiVeness. Speaking of the last war in the Balkans, he said there was much to indicate that the end of hos tilities in that quarter of the globe was not yet in sight.
 Three hundred members are here for this, the twentieth annual confer ence. Thew come from all parts or the United States and from Europe and South America. The conference will extend through Friday. On Thursday afternoon five representa- tives from the intercollegiate peace association will engage in the eighth national oratorical contest of that or ganization. Each contestant has won the college state and group competi- ton of the five sections into which the country is divided. The competI- ton here is for five prizes ranging from $100 to $40.
 Smiley Opens Session. hs
 The first session today was opened by Daniel Smiley, host of the confer ence. Other speakers were John A. Stewart of New York, chairman of the executive committee of the Amer ican Peace Centenary committee; John Stewart Bryan, editor of the Times Dispatch and News Leader of Richmond, Va.; w. W. Willoughby of Baltimore, professor of political science, at Johns Hopkins university, and Arthur Deering Call of Washing ton, executive director of the Ameri-' can Peace society.
 Mr Stewart asserted that war with Mexico or controversies in congress regarding the interpretation of treaty can detract not whit from the glory of the fact of a century of peace.
 The general topic today was the status of the arbitration and peace movement Federico A. Pezet, the Peruvian minister, is on the program tonight for an address, and the gen. eral topic of treaties will be dis cussed by several authorities on in. ternational relations.
 Raps Existing Treaties.
 John Bassett Moore declared that existing arbitration treaties were backward steps. As far back as 1794 he found the United States and Great Britain admitting to arbitration in a sweeping manner certain points which would be subject to exception or re- striction under the treaty with Great Britain today.
 "As we are somewhat prone to boast of leading the van in the cause of peace, it may be worth our while to consider" he said, whether we should not occupy a position more advanced than that which we now hold if we were to go back to fthe practice we adopted a hundred and twenty years ago.
 Mr Moore, whose resignation last March from the high office of coun- selor of the state department, stirred Washington with rumors of a clash with Secretary Bryan, made no att tack upon the policies of his former chief He spoke favorably of the pending Bryan Peace Treaties"
 His address was: "A Survey of the Present Situation"
 Deplores Recent Arbitration.
 He. deplored that the cases of arbi- tration initiated during the past two years "have not in any respect been notable-related as they were for the most art to simple pecuniary ques- tions,' and that even these had been overshadowed by armed conflicts ot exceptional destructiveness," particu- larly in the Balkans, where the end of hostilities was not yet assured.
 He referred to the "A. B. C. med iation" now going on:
 Prior to The Hague convention, the tender of good offices or mediation without solicitation or consultation