19S '11 1 1: TKKATY 01' WASHINGTON. 



a<'Tee between tluMiisolves, tlicy establish a mixed 

 commission or apjioiut an arbitrator or arbitrators. 

 On sncli occasions the contending parties do not se- 

 lect an arbitrator in consideration ot* his being power- 

 ful, like an Emperor of the French or an Emperor of 

 (rermany, bnt because of confidence in the impartial- 

 ity of the arljiter, as when great States refer a ques- 

 tion to relatively feeble Sovereigns, like the King of 

 the Netherlands or the King of the Belgians, or to 

 the Senate of a little Ke])ublic like Hamburg, or even 

 to iive individual judges, like the Arbitrators of Ge- 

 neva, or to a single p<'rson like Sir Edward Thornton. 

 Nay, in further proof of tLe availableness of this 

 method of settling national disputes, we have (Jreat 

 Britain and the United States, in spite of their own 

 ]>articular quarrel, each trusting the other in, a ques- 

 tion between either of them and another Power. 



Tl»e same disposition of mind on the part of mod- 

 ern (lovernmcnts, that is, the assiunjition that a se- 

 lected international judge or arbitrator will decide 

 inijiartially, whether he be powerful or weak, and of 

 whatever natior»ality he may be, appears in the con- 

 stitution of mixed commissions. Generally these 

 conunissions consist of two commissioners, one ap- 

 j)ointetl l)y each of the respective Governments, with 

 authority given to the commissioners to select an um- 

 l)Ire to determine any differences which may arise be- 

 tween them ; or sometimes the umpire is agreed on 

 by the two (jrovernments. 



Now, in the very heat of our late controversies with 

 Great Britain, we consented to accept the Biitish 



