Messages of President of Ecuador to the Ecuadorian Congress. Arbitration convention between the United States and Ecuador.. Boundary dispute between Ecuador and Peru-Mediation of the United The North Atlantic Coast Fisheries Arbitration-Decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague in the case submitted by the United Declarations by the United States and Great Britain exempting commer- cial travelers' samples from customs inspection... Proposed alternative procedure for the International Prize Court and the investment of the International Prize Court with the functions of a court Marriage of American women to the subjects of Greece...... Trial in Greece of Greek subjects for extraditable crimes committed in the Message of the President of Guatemala to the Guatemalan Congress. Message of the President of Haiti to the Haitian Congress... Message of the President of Honduras to the Honduranean Congress... Extradition of Charles Vandenberg from Honduras to the United States Alleged discrimination against Italian subjects by courts of Pennsylvania.. Alleged violation of article 6 of the consular convention of 1878 between the Message of the President of Mexico to the Mexican Congress... Death of the President of Panama.... Convention for the settlement of the boundary dispute between Costa Agreement between Japan and Russia relative to Manchuria.. Jurisdiction of treaty powers over citizens of nontreaty nations.. Interpretation of article 23 of the treaty of friendship and general relations Message of the President of Uruguay to the Uruguayan Congress.. Message of the President of Paraguay to the Paraguayan Congress. Celebration of the first centenary of the independence of Venezuela...... Message of the President of Venezuela to the Venezuelan Congress.. International conferences and conventions.... Conventions of the Second International Peace Conference held at The MESSAGE. To the Senate and House of Representatives: During the past year the foreign relations of the United States. have continued upon a basis of friendship and good understanding. ARBITRATION. The year has been notable as witnessing the pacific settlement of two important international controversies before the Permanent Court of The Hague. The arbitration of the Fisheries dispute between the United States and Great Britain, which has been the source of nearly continuous diplomatic correspondence since the Fisheries Convention of 1818, has given an award which is satisfactory to both parties. This arbitration is particularly noteworthy not only because of the eminently just results secured, but also because it is the first arbitration held under the general arbitration treaty of April 4, 1908, between the United States and Great Britain, and disposes of a controversy the settlement of which has resisted every other resource of diplomacy, and which for nearly ninety years has been the cause of friction between two countries whose common interest lies in maintaining the most friendly and cordial relations with each other. The United States was ably represented before the tribunal. The complicated history of the questions arising made the issue depend, more than ordinarily in such cases, upon the care and skill with which our case was presented, and I should be wanting in proper recognition of a great patriotic service if I did not refer to the lucid historical analysis of the facts and the signal ability and force of the argument-six days in length-presented to the Court in support of our case by Mr. Elihu Root. As Secretary of State, Mr. Root had given close study to the intricate facts bearing on the controversy, and by diplomatic correspondence had helped to frame the issues. At the solicitation of the Secretary of State and myself, Mr. Root, though burdened by his duties as Senator from New York, undertook the preparation of the case as leading counsel, with the condition imposed by himself that, in view of his position as Senator, he should not receive any compensation. The Tribunal constituted at The Hague by the Governments of the United States and Venezuela has completed its deliberations and has rendered an award in the case of the Orinoco Steamship Company against Venezuela. The award may be regarded as satisfactory since it has, pursuant to the contentions of the United States, recognized a number of important principles making for a judicial attitude in the determining of international disputes. In view of grave doubts which had been raised as to the constitutionality of The Hague Convention for the establishment of an International Prize Court, now before the Senate for ratification, because of that provision of the Convention which provides that there may be an appeal to the proposed Court from the decisions of national courts, this government proposed in an Identic Circular Note addressed to those Powers who had taken part in the London Maritime Conference, that the powers signatory to the Convention, if confronted with such difficulty, might insert a reservation to the effect that appeals to the International Prize Court in respect. to decisions of its national tribunals, should take the form of a direct claim for compensation; that the proceedings thereupon to be taken should be in the form of a trial de novo, and that judgment of the Court should consist of compensation for the illegal capture, irrespective of the decision of the national court whose judgment had thus been internationally involved. As the result of an informal discussion it was decided to provide such procedure by means of a separate protocol which should be ratified at the same time as the Prize Court Convention itself. Accordingly, the Government of the Netherlands, at the request of this Government, proposed under date of May 24, 1910, to the powers signatory to the Hague Convention, the negotiation of a supplemental protocol embodying stipulations providing for this alternative procedure. It is gratifying to observe that this additional protocol is being signed without objection, by the powers signatory to the original convention, and there is every reason to believe that the International Prize Court will be soon established. The Identic Circular Note also proposed that the International Prize Court when established should be endowed with the functions of an Arbitral Court of Justice under and pursuant to the recommendation adopted by the last Hague Conference. The replies received from the various powers to this proposal inspire the hope that this also may be accomplished within the reasonably near future. It is believed that the establishment of these two tribunals will go a long way toward securing the arbitration of many questions which have heretofore threatened and, at times, destroyed the peace of nations. |