Show ft 5tud mously settled An effort was made to secure agreement on the policy that a nation should not use force in the collection of debts between one nation and the citizens of another until an attempt at least had been made to settle the difficulty by arbitration Money considerations do not justify war between two nations any more than personal debts justify the imprisonment or execution of the debtor Thirty two nations voted in favor So large a of this proposition majority being in sympathy with the movement is a hopeful indication that in the near future the common consent of all will be secured and we will see no more examples of the Venezuela type In nearly every case during the past century where such methods have been employed for the collection of debts the cost of collection has been greater than the original indebtedness and in every case the claims of the creditor nation have been exaggerated Often subsequent auditing of accounts has shown the actual indebtedness to be only fifty or sixty percent of the claim and in some cases less than one per cent Obviously these matters should be in- vestigated by a disinterested commission before drastic measures are t Lif 15 employed in the collection The same principle was extended and given a much wider application in a plan to have all questions of international dispute — except those involving the nation’s honor or public safety — submitted to arbitration for adjustment before war is declared The board of arbitration would undoubtedly be able to effect a settlement and restore harmonious relationships in a majority of cases It is not surprising that the world is unwilling to pledge itself to such a policy at the present time but it is gratifying to note that the trend of modern thought is in this direction and the Hague Conference has exerted a powerful influence in the development of the - ! f C ! t t I plan f It would be unfair to report the proceedings of the meetings without mentioning the speech of General Horace Porter Gen Porter was our ambassador to France for ten years and was associated with Mr Choate in the Hague Peace Conference During the course of his remarks he became periodically serious and in the sober intervals said some very sensible things But his chief function was to furnish fun In this calling he “made good” He declared the audience to be the most enthusiastic body ever assembled except once in a '? - I H 4 - At & t u ? |