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ARBITRATION CONVENTION BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND CHINA.1

Signed at Washington, October 8, 1908; Ratified, March 1, 1909; Proclaimed, April 6, 1909.

The President of the United States of America and His Majesty the Emperor of China, taking into consideration the fact that the high contracting parties to the convention for the pacific settlement of international disputes, concluded at The Hague on the 29th July, 1899, have reserved to themselves, by article XIX of that convention, the right of concluding agreements, with a view to referring to arbitration all questions which they shall consider possible to submit to such treatment, have resolved to conclude an arbitration convention between the two countries, and for that purpose have named as their plenipotentiaries, that is to say:

The President of the United States of America, Elihu Root, Secretary of State of the United States of America; and

His Majesty the Emperor of China, Wu Ting-fang, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the United States of America, Mexico, Peru, and Cuba;

Who, after having communicated to each other their full powers, found to be in good and due form, have agreed upon and concluded the following articles:

ARTICLE I

Differences which may arise of a legal nature or relating to the interpretation of treaties existing between the two contracting parties, and which it may not have been possible to settle by diplomacy, shall be referred to the Permanent Court of Arbitration established at The Hague by the convention of the 29th July, 1899, provided, nevertheless, that they do not affect the vital interests, the independence, or the honor of the two contracting states, and do not concern the interests of third parties.

ARTICLE II.

In each individual case the high contracting parties before appealing to the Permanent Court of Arbitration shall conclude a special agreement defining clearly the matter in dispute, the scope of the powers of the arbitrators, and the periods to be fixed for the formation of the arbitral tribunal and the several stages of the procedure. It is under

1 U. S. Treaty Series, No. 522.

stood that such special agreements will be made on the part of the United States by the President of the United States by and with the advice and consent of the Senate thereof.

ARTICLE III.

The present convention shall remain in force for the period of five years from the date of the exchange of the ratifications.

ARTICLE IV.

The present convention shall be ratified by the high contracting parties, and the ratifications thereof shall be exchanged at Washington as soon as possible.

In witness whereof, the respective plenipotentiaries have signed the present convention, and have thereunto affixed their seals.

Done at the city of Washington, in duplicate, this 8th day of October, one thousand nine hundred and eight, corresponding to the 14th day of the 9th month of the 34th year of Kuang Hsü.

ELIHU ROOT. [SEAL]
WU TING FANG. [SEAL]

ARBITRATION CONVENTION BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND AUSTRIA

HUNGARY.1

Signed at Washington, January 15, 1909; Ratified, March 1, 1909; Proclaimed, May 18, 1909.

The President of the United States of America and His Majesty the Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, etc., and Apostolic King of Hungary, signatories of the convention for the pacific settlement of international disputes, concluded at The Hague on the 29th July,, 1899;

Taking into consideration that by article 19 of that convention the high contracting parties have reserved to themselves the right of concluding agreements, with a view to referring to arbitration all questions which they shall consider possible to submit to such treatment, have resolved to conclude the following convention and for that purpose have appointed their plenipotentiaries:

The President of the United States of America, Elihu Root, Secretary of State of the United States; and

1 U. S. Treaty Series, No. 524.

His Majesty the Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, etc., and Apostolic King of Hungary, Baron Ladislaus Hengelmüller de Hengervár, Grand Cross of the Orders of Leopold and Francis Joseph, 3rd Class Knight of the Order of the Iron Crown, His Majesty's Privy Counselor and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States of America;

Who after communicating to each other their respective full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed upon the following articles:

ARTICLE I.

Differences which may arise of a legal nature, or relating to the interpretation of treaties existing between the high, contracting parties, and which it may not have been possible to settle by diplomacy, shall be referred to the Permanent Court of Arbitration established at The Hague by the convention of the 29th July, 1899; provided, nevertheless, that they do not affect the vital interests, the independence, or the honor of the high contracting parties, and do not concern the interests of third parties.

ARTICLE II.

In each individual case the high contracting parties, before appealing to the Permanent Court of Arbitration, shall conclude a special agreement defining clearly the matter in dispute, the scope of the powers of the arbitrators, and the periods to be fixed for the formation of the arbitral tribunal and the several stages of the procedure.

It is understood that such special agreements on the part of the United States will be made by the President of the United States by and with the advice and consent of the Senate thereof.

Such agreements shall be binding only when confirmed by the govern. ments of the high contracting parties by an exchange of notes.

ARTICLE III.

The present convention shall be ratified by the high contracting parties, and the ratifications shall be exchanged as soon as possible at Washington. The present convention shall remain in force for five years from the fifteenth day after the date of the exchange of the ratifications.

In testimony whereof the respective plenipotentiaries have signed this convention and have affixed thereto their seals.

Done in duplicate at Washington the 15th day of January, 1909.

ELIHU ROOT. [SEAL]
HENGELMÜLLER. [SEAL]

AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND VENEZUELA FOR THE DECISION AND ADJUSTMENT OF CERTAIN CLAIMS.

Signed at Caracas on February 13, 1909.

William I. Buchanan, High Commissioner, representing the President of the United States of America, and Doctor Francisco González Guinán, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the United States of Venezuela, duly authorized by General Juan Vicente Gomez, Vice-President of the United States of Venezuela, in charge of the Presidency of the Republic, having exhibited to each other and found in due form their respective powers, and animated by the spirit of sincere friendship that has always existed and should exist between the two nations they represent, having conferred during repeated and lengthy conferences concerning the manner of amicably and equitably adjusting the differences existing between their respective governments with regard to the claims pending between them, since neither the United States of America nor the United States of Venezuela aspires to anything other than sustaining that to which in justice and equity it is entitled; and as a result of these conferences have recognized the great importance of arbitration as a means toward maintaining the good understanding which should exist and increase between their respective nations, and to the end of avoiding hereafter, so far as possible, differences between them, they believe it is from every point of view desirable that a treaty of arbitration shall be adjusted between their respective governments.

With respect to the claims that have been the subject of their long and friendly conferences, William I. Buchanan and Doctor Francisco González Guinán have found that the opinions and views concerning them sustained by their respective governments have been, and are, so diametrically opposed and so different that they have found it difficult. to adjust them by common accord; wherefore it is necessary to resort to the conciliatory means of arbitration, a measure to which the two nations they represent are mutually bound by their signatures to the treaties of the Second Peace Conference at The Hague in 1907, and one which is recognized by the entire civilized world as the only satisfactory means of terminating international disputes.

Being so convinced, and firm in their resolution not to permit, for any reason whatever, the cordiality that has always existed between their respective countries to be disturbed, the said William I. Buchanan and Doctor Francisco González Guinán, thereunto fully authorized, have

adjusted, agreed to and signed the present protocol for the settlement of the said claims against the United States of Venezuela, which are as follows:

1. The claim of the United States of America on behalf of the Orinoco Steamship Company;

2. The claim of the United States of America on behalf of the Orinoco Corporation and of its predecessors in interest, The Manoa Company Limited, The Orinoco Company and The Orinoco Company Limited; and,

3. The claim of the United States of America on behalf of the United States and Venezuela Company, also known as the Crichfield claim.

ARTICLE I.

With respect to the first of these claims, that of the Orinoco Steamship Company, the United States of Venezuela has upheld the immutability of the arbitral decision of Umpire Barge, rendered in this case, alleging that said decision does not suffer from any of the causes which by universal jurisprudence give rise to its nullity, but rather that it is of an unappealable character, since the compromis of arbitration can not be considered as void, nor has there been an excessive exercise of jurisdiction, nor can the corruption of the judges be alleged, nor an essential error in the judgment; while on the other hand, the United States of America, citing practical cases, among them the case of the revision, with the consent of the United States of America, of the arbitral awards rendered by the American-Venezuelan Mixed Commission created by the convention of April 25, 1866, and basing itself on the circumstances of the case, considering the principles of international law and of universal jurisprudence, has upheld not only the admissibility but the necessity of the revision of said award; in consequence of this situation, William I. Buchanan and Doctor Francisco González Guinán, in the spirit that has marked their conferences, have agreed to submit this case to the elevated criterion of the arbitral tribunal created by this protocol, in the following form:

The arbitral tribunal shall first decide whether the decision of Umpire Barge, in this case, in view of all the circumstances and under the principles of international law, is not void, and whether it must be considered so conclusive as to preclude a reexamination of the case on its merits. If the arbitral tribunal decides that said decision must be considered final, the case will be considered by the United States of America as

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