The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-06-09
.BRYAN'S PEACE
 PLANS FAVORED
 BY 26 NATIONS

Washington, June 9.-The essential feature of the peace treaties, whose negotiation MT. Bryan regarded as the greatest work of his career as Secre- tary of State, and his monument in history, was the "breathing-spelr' plan, based on the theory that war was frequently precipitated in haste and passion, and might be avoided by giving the people of aggrieved nations time to cool down. As laid by Secretary Bryan before the diplomatic representatives of all foreign nations in July, 1913, the plan provided that:
 All questions Of whatever char
 acter and nature in dispute be- tween them shall, when diplomatic
 efforts fail, be submitted for inveS-
 tigation and report to an interna-
 tionaI commission, and the con-
 tracting parties agree ~-i' to, de-
 clare war or begin hostilities until
 such investigation is made and re-
 port submitted.
 The investigation shall be con-
 ducted as a matter of course upon the initiative of the commission,
 without the formality of a request
 from either party: the report shall
 be submitted within tine to be
 agreed upon, but suggested to be
 from six months to a year), but
 the parties reserve the right to act independently on the subject-n1at-
 ter in dispute after ths report is
 submitted.
 Would Have Five Members.
 MT Bryan suggested tentatively that the international commission be composed of five members, one a citi- zen of the two signatory countries, one to be chosen by each country from some other country, and a, fifth to be agreed upon by the two governments. and that the commission be appointed to form a permanent body as soon as possible after the ratification of a treaty.
 Mr Bryan also proposed that the nations involved should bind them selves not to increase their military or naval establishments, or make any other preparations for war, during the time the commission was investigat- ing, but he admitted the advisabiIity of an arrangement whereby either na- ton might be released from this obli- gatfon on the plea of danger from a third country
 The first country to approve the Bryan plan aid to express willingness to negotiate treaty with the United States on these lines was Italy. Then followed Great Britain, France, Bra gil, Sweden, Norway, Peru and Rus- sia, in the order named, and within a month after the tentative proposals had been made, eighteen nations had
 
 named, this number included China, Spain and most of the smaller South and Central American republics.
 Plan Favored by 26 Nations.
 Germany and Japan expressed ap- prova1 of the idea fin princip1e,'' but withheld acceptance of the specific plan put forward by MT. Bryan. Den- mark and most of the other smaller nations indorsed the plan. and two months after the proposal had been on the list as favoring treaties of the sort suggested by MT. Bryan.
 The first treaty to be drafted in accordance with the proposal was that with the Central American Re- public of Salvador. ! It was ratified Aug. T, 1913. The second was with Costa Rica. The first European coun- try to ratify a breathing spell trea- ty'' was the Netherlands. This trea- ty was signed Dec. 18,s1913.
 Just a week later a, treaty of gem eral arbitration, making no exception or reservation, was signed with Dem mark by MT. Bryan. This treaty. however, was held up in the Senate. Switzerland was the second European country to conclude a 'tbreathing- spe1F' treaty, in January. 1914.
 Italy, the first important European power to indorse the Bryan plan, was also the first to sign a 'tbreathing spelI'' treaty with the United States May 5, 1914. Great Britain ratified a similar treaty last November and France has also entered into a similar pact.