Evening star., 1928-12-10
COOLIDGE EULOGIZES AMERICAS
FOR RECORD OF ARBITRATION
Have Held Advanced Position Since
Earliest Period, He Says, in Opening
Pan-American Conference.

President Coolidge spoke as follows
before the Pan American Conference on
Arbitration and Cancellation, tcday:
Gentlemen of the Conference:
1T is to no ordinary occasion that
am privileged as President of the United
States to bid you Welcome. There are
represented here 20 nations of the Wes-
tern Hemisphere, who have a common
purpose to advance the cause of civiliza-
tion by substituting the obligation OF
reason for the coercion of force. It Is
an effort to raise humanity to higher
level of existence, where nations may
dwell together in peace and harmony
according to the principles of liberty
and equality under the fostering influ-
ence of justice and equity. 1t is i'm
possible to conceive of more inSpir-
ing motive for an international confer
ence. Here is no shadow of past con-
flict and no thought of future conquest
All is peace and all thoughts are bent
on establishing better method through
which a higher degree of justice may be
done each to the other.
From the earliest peroid of their in
dependent existence the Americas have
held an advanced position in their
advocacy of the orderly settlement OF
international disputes. 1t is a record
calculated to stir the pride Of all those
who love peace and justice. The world
has had no more devoted adherents to
the principle of arbitration The coun-
tries of South America led all the
world in their contribution to this
cause. The treaties of 1922 of Greater
Colombia with Peru and with Chile
of 1928 with Mexico, and of 1925 with
Central America, set new standards in
the conduct of international relations
1t is a notable and significant fact that
at the first conference of Pan Amer
lean character, held at Panama in
1926, treaty was signed which de.
clared:
1.-The contracting parties solemnly
obligate and bind themselves amicably
to compromise among themselves al
differences now existing or which may
arise in the future, and in case no set.
| tlement can be reached between thu
disagreeing powers the question shall
be taken for settlement to the judgment
| of the assembly, whose decision shall
however not be obligatory. unless salt
powers shall have expressly agreed tina
| 1t shall be-
Adopted Arbitration.
History clearly asserts that at thi
, early period the Republic of Americs
made both conciliation and arbitration
integral parts of their national policy
What contributes even more remark
ably to their force is the fact that thi:
principles were practically unknown ir
other sections of the world.
1T Is, moreover, most notable cir
cumstance that whenever the nation;
of America have assembled they have
given preferential attention to the
peaceful settlement of the questions
arising among them. 1 have already
referred to the labors of the Congress:
Of Panama. The Congress of Lima oi
1847 established the principle that al
differences that may arise between two
or more of the American republics shall
be settled without recourse to force
and that If the parties cannot reach ar
agreement by diplomatic negotiation
or through the interposition of the gooc
offices of other nations for the purpos,
Of conciliation, such questions shall bt
submitted to the arbitral decision Of ont
OF the republics or to a congress s
plenipotentiaries.
Declarations Of similar nature wert
made at the Congress of Santiago o
1856, the Congress of Lima of 1864, tn,
Congress of Caracas of 1888, and at tht
series of international conferences O
American states beginning with tn,
conference OF Washington in 1880 ant
including the recent conference at Ha
vana in January of the present year.
Nor has the United States been re
miss in the furtherance Of these grea
! principles. AS early as 1894 in a treat,
with Great Britain, usually referred t,
as the 'Jsy treaty 1t became the privi
! lege OF this Government to introduc
into modern diplomacy the principle o
arbitration, and throughout the perio,
Of nearly century and a half whicl
has elapsed since that time we hav
supported our sister republics in up
holding this great cause.
Many Delicate Questions.
"It is a mistake to suppose that /
was much easier to adopt cancellation
and arbitration on the American cont
nent because of the absence of an
outstanding inter-American disputes
The history of this continent disclose
the presence of as large number 0
difficult and delicate questions as Il
any other section of the world. Tn
uncertainty of the boundaries of tn
American states after their successiv
declarations of independence fror
Spain and Portugal gave rise to larg
number of territorial disputes whic
belong to the class usually :.rouSing tn
most deeply-rooted national feeling
The fact that most of these have beel
settled by direct negotiation, concilia
ton and arbitration will forever be on
of the glorieS of the Americas, as we
as a constant reminder that the nation
of this continent have dedicated them