Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-01-24
DECLARATION OF
NATIONS RIGHTS
IS ENUNC|ATED
Institute Of international Law
Adopts Statements Of What
Relations Of Governments
Should Be to Each Other,


and adopted In executive session by
the American Institute Of Interna-
tional Law at It's recent convention
held here under the auspices of the
Pan-American Scientific congress,
was made public today by Or Scott.
president of the institute,
Although the declaration lacks the
formal ratification Of the twenty-one
American republics and therefore is
not an official document its trainers
believe that 1t correctly sets forth the
official views OF all American com
nonwcalths. Before the institute was
called upon to consider it, the dec
laration was submitted to and app
proved by the chief authorities on
International law in the south Amer
lean republics including Ambassador
Suarcz and Or. Alcjandre of Chile.
II was unanimously adopted January
g by the institute, whose member
ship Of the i05 is made up of five
experts on International law from each
Of The twcnty-oae American republics.
The declaration, Il Is said, cmbodios
the Institutes conception Of only cle-
mental national rights and will be
further considered ot the next meet
ing Of the institute in Havana next
year. II contains five primary sec
tons which were fashioned with the
United states Declaration Of lnde-
pendenco in mind as model and
which read as follows:
statement of Principles.
u. Every nation has the right TO
exist to protect and to conserve it's
existence; but this right neither inn
plies the right nor justifies the act
IT the state to protect itself or to con-
serve its existence by the commission
of unlawful acts against innocent ana
unoffendIng states.
III. Every nation has the right to
independence in the sense that it has
u right to the pursuit Of happiness
and Is free TO develop itself without
interference or control from other
states. provided that in so doing it
does not interfere or violate the Just
right Of other states
iii. Every nation is in law and
before law the equal OF every state
composing the society OF nations, and
all states have the right to claim,
and, according TO Tho Declaration OF
Independence of the United states, to
assume, among the powers of the
earth. the separate and equal station
TO which the laws OF nature and of
natures God entitle them.
Nv Every nation has the right
Ia. lt..s.. IA. Il.
les and to exercise exclusive iurisdic-
tion over this territory. and all per-
sons whether native or foreign found
therein
V. Every nation entitled to right
by the law Of nations is entitled to
have that right respected and pro-
tected by all other nations for right
and duty are correlative. and the right
Of one is the duty Of all to observe"
Preamble 90 Resolution.
The preamble to the resolution emf
bodying the declaration reads as fol-
lows:
Whereas the municipal law OF civ
li2ed nations recognizes and protects
tho right To life the right To liberty
to which the Declaration Of Independ-
cnce of tho United states adds the
right TO the pursuit Of happiness, the
right to legal equality. the right to
property. and the right to the enjoy
mcnt OF the aforesaid rights, creating
q duty on the part of the citizens or
subjects Of each nation TO observe
them. and
Whereas these fundamental rights,
thus universally recognized are fam
liar to the peoples of all civilized
countries. and
Whereas these fundamental rights
can be stated in terms OF interna-
tlonal law ana can he applied to the
relations Of the members of the
society OF nations, one with another
Just MS they have hocn applied in the
relations Of the citizens or subjects
of the states forming the society Of
nations. and
Whereas these fundamental rights
of national Jurisprudence, namely. the
right to life, the right TO liberty, the
right to the pursuit of happiness, the
right to equality before the law. the
right to property, and the right to
The observance thereof are, stated In
terms OF international law, the right
OF the nation to exist and to protect
and TO conserve its existence; the
right Of independence and the free
oom To develop itself without inter-
ference or control from other nations,
the right of equality in law and be-
Tore law, the right TO territory with
indefinite boundaries and to exclusive
jurisdiction therein. and the right to
the observance of these fundamen-
tai rights:
Therefore, The American Institute
of International Law unanimously
adopts az its first session. held in the
city of Washington, in the United
States of America, on the sixth day
Of January. 1916. in connection with
and under the auspices of the second
Pan-American Scientific congress- the
following five articles, together with
the commentary thereon. to he known
MS The Declaration of the Rights Of
Nations.
Then follow the articles of the dec
laration.
Additions and legal citations sup
porting the various articles of the
declaration supplement the declara-
ton Itself. Some Of these. 1t is un-
dcrstood, were made by Dr. Scott, ar
ter exhaustive research and were APP
proved by other members of the in
stitute. After the first article of the
declaration, asserting the right Of a.
nation TO exist, Ia protect and 90 con-