Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 24.pdf/367

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334

The Green Bag

ton, Dr. Albert Gobat of Berne, Swit zerland; and H. A. Powell of St. Johns, N.B. The principal speaker at the second day's session was Mr. Justice William Renwick Riddell of the King's Bench of Ontario. His subject was "Treaties Affecting the United States and Cana da." He reviewed the treaties of ar bitration affecting the United States and Canada since 1794, and pointed out that of nineteen treaties thirteen had been markedly successful. John Ball Osborne, Chief of the Bu reau of Trade Relations of the Depart ment of Trade, addressed the confer ence on "The Settlement of Commercial Disputes Between Nations by an Inter national Court." William Cullen Dennis of the Dis trict of Columbia bar, formerly agent of the United States in the Orinoco Steamship and Chamizal arbitrations, spoke on the recent arbitration treaties with Great Britain and France. Dr. Otfried Nippold, Professor of International Law in Berne University Switzerland, spoke on "Winning Ger many for Peace." He said: "The en deavors to secure world peace can only be fully successful if all nations take part in them. The chief work must be done in Germany. For if we have taken Germany, we have taken the world. The third and last day's session fur nished the occasion for addresses by Samuel B. Capen of Boston; William C. Deming, editor of the Wyoming Tribune, Cheyenne; President Henry C. White of the University of Georgia; Dr. John H. Gray of the University of Minnesota; Selden P. Spencer of St. Louis, former judge of the United States Circuit Court; United States Commis sioner of Labor Charles P. Neill; Ham ilton Holt of New York; Dr. Dunbar

Rowland of Jackson, Miss.; and the Rev. Frederick Lynch of New York. The conference prize for the best essay on international arbitration was pre sented to the winner, John K. Stark weather of Denver, Col., a student at Brown University. Miss Eunice Peters of Chicago was presented with the prize for the best woman's essay on peace. International Law and Arbitration In an unostentatious way the Ameri can and British governments have put into operation a scheme for the settle ment by arbitration of a large number of pecuniary claims preferred by indi vidual citizens and corporations against both governments. Already the two governments have agreed to arbitrate over two hundred claims of American citizens against Great Bristain and about one hundred claims of British subjects against the United States. The general arbitration treaties be tween the United States, Great Bri tain and France were the basis of some of the most important papers read be fore the American Society of Interna tional Law at its sixth meeting, held in Washington, D. C., April 25-27. "Notwithstanding past failures," said Richard Olney of Massachusetts, "it is not believed that the United States should be deemed to be irrevocably com mitted to the position that it will make no general arbitration treaty which does not exclude from its operation what are claimed to be non-arbitrable questions." He took the position that there is no controlling reason why representatives of the United States at the next Hague conference may not propose a draft of treaty between nations which might be so framed as to minimize if not remove the objections to making all contro versies at least prima facie arbitrable.