ARGUMENT OF THE UNITED STATES. 



Tbe undersigned, counsel for the United States, conceive that before 

 entering upon the argument which it has been made their duty to pre- 

 pare, they owe more than a formal and ceremonious expression of their 

 sense of the importance and dignity of the occasion and of the august 

 character of the Tribunal which they are to address. Instances have 

 heretofore occurred in which nations have submitted their controversies 

 to peaceful arbitration ; but the most important of them have been 

 cases in which mere pecuniary reparation was sought in respect to acts 

 which could not be recalled. To-day two most powerful nations agree 

 that their conflicting claims to permanent dominion shall be reconciled 

 and determined without a resort to those methods of violence which 

 carry with them such limitless destruction and suffering. A just hom- 

 age is thus paid to the civilized sentiment of mankind that war is sel- 

 dom, if ever, necessary; and that the conclusions of reason should be 

 made to supersede the employment of force. 



FIRST. 



WHAT LAW IS TO GOVERN THE DECISION? 



The undersigned believe it to be in a high degree important that it 

 should at the outset be clearly understood what principles and rules 

 are to guide the Arbitrators in reaching their conclusions. Otherwise 

 no argument can be intelligently framed. We do not indeed appre- 

 hend that there can be any serious difference of opinion upon this 

 point. 



The consciousness and immediate conviction of every one having any 

 part in the proceeding — Arbitrators aud counsel alike— might be safely 



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