hostility to the representative idea. Both these addresses were by special resolution ordered printed at once for general distribution.

On Thursday, September 6th, Mr. William H. Burgess of Chicago (late of Texas), greatly interested the Association by an address entitled "A Hothouse Constitution; Mexico, 1917." He showed that this remarkable document, the new Constitution of Mexico, was adopted in entire disregard of the provisions of the existing Constitution which provide for revision and amendment by a two-thirds vote of Congress approved by a majority of the Legislatures of the States. The new Constitution was formed by a convention of delegates from a part only of the States, and approved by a "Rump Congress." That though seemingly most advanced, humane and communistic, it gives powers of suspension to the President and Council which neutralize these powers at the will of the government. It establishes, for the first time in Mexico, trial by jury as a constitutional right. It expressly declares the right of the nation to impose such limitations on private property and upon the development of natural resources, as it may see fit in order to conserve them and equitably distribute the public wealth. The ownership of all minerals, including petroleum, is vested in the nation. It limits the right to acquire ownership in lands and water to Mexicans and Mexican companies, or foreigners who agree to be considered as Mexicans as to such property and not to ask the protection of their own government as to the same. Within 100 kilometers of the frontier and 50 kilometers of the sea coast, no foreigner shall under any circumstances acquire ownership. All ecclesiastical property is vested in the state.

Mr. Burgess found this Constitution "radical beyond anything that ever has been undertaken, so far as I know, in any American State or any portion of the English-speaking world," and expressed the opinion that this "organic law was calculated to develop beyond all calculation a system of official blackmail." Its international importance is obvious when we reflect that Mexican oil is largely moving the fleets of the world, to refer to one item only.

Thursday afternoon, before one of the largest and most interested audiences of the meeting, Maître Gaston de Leval, of the Bar of Brussels, discussed "Prussian Law as Applied in Belgium." He showed that the Bar of Belgium stood as one man against the reign of terror of the Germans in that distracted country; that in the regions where fighting was going on the law administered was "nothing

else than the more or less fanciful order of the military commandant," and that in the provinces when there was no more fighting the German authority gradually superseded the Belgian municipal authorities under their Teutonic system, devised to exploit the territory for any, even slight and remote, advantages to Germany, and without regard to its own welfare or necessities. The Hague Convention provided that military occupants should respect the laws of the country and make changes only for "absolute necessity." The Germans held any advantage to themselves, however slight or remote, was such "necessity" and extended their rigorous control to all things, even those having no connection with military affairs.

The German code makes foreigners in a country occupied by German troops subject to the penal provisions of the code for acts against the troops, their suite, or against the German authority, and this was most broadly interpreted and vigorously applied, contrary to the Hague Convention for preserving local law. The Belgians were arrested, prosecuted and condemned by thousands under unknown provisions of German law, never as yet even published or proclaimed in Belgium. To illustrate how minute this military interference was, "If the owner of a restaurant was to fry potatoes instead of cooking them according to the German fashion, he had to be brought before the German military court." The Germans requisitioned raw material from the Belgium factories, forcing them to close, and the workmen were thus thrown into the streets. The Germans then offered them work in employments hostile to their country. Most refused, and by a decree of the German Governor General in 1916, a penalty of three years imprisonment and 20,000 marks fine was imposed for such refusal. Another decree provided that they might be made to work by military force, so that by a regular system the Belgian workmen were deprived of work, then offered employment hostile to their own country, and made criminals and savagely punished if they refused it, as by international law they had a right to.

Maître de Leval's address was heard with deep interest and sympathy by the bar, and as a testimonial to him and his country he was elected to honorary membership in the American Bar Association, which he with warm feeling accepted. Nothing is said here of those portions of his address which he requested should not be reported.

The meeting of the Association closed with a great dinner over

which President Sutherland presided with great spirit and success. The speeches were admirable, but cannot be mentioned individually, except that of the guest of honor, Hon. Elihu Root, which was of international importance. Fresh from his official labors as head of our commission to Russia, he spoke at length of his observations there with his customary clearness of statement, and a depth of emotion unusual with him. He paid a moving tribute to the character of the Russian people, to their self-control, their experience and success in local self-government and the capacity he discerned in them for national self-government. He dwelt on their excellence of heart and head. His statement that in the midst of the revolution a young woman could go at any hour of the day or night, alone and unattended, from one end of Petrograd to the other without fear of injury or insult, was one of the striking facts mentioned in defense of that great people.

The whole audience rose and cheered him standing more than once as he proceeded, and the address produced a profound impres sion on the great assembly of men who especially shape, expound and administer the laws of the United States.

The general officers elected for the coming year were: WALTER GEORGE SMITH, of Philadelphia, Pa., President. GEORGE WHITELOCK, of Baltimore, Md., Secretary. FREDERICK E. WADHAMS, of Albany, N. Y., Treasurer. and the following members of the Executive Committee. CHARLES U. POTTER, Cheyenne, Wyoming

JOHN LOWELL, Boston, Mass.

CHAS. BLOOD SMITH, Topeka, Kansas
ASHLEY COCKRELL, Little Rock, Ark.
GEORGE T. PAIGE, Peoria, Ill.

T. A. HAMMOND, Atlanta, Ga.

U. S. G. CHERY, Sioux Falls, S. D.

and CHARLES T. TERRY, New York City

Seldom has the interest been so well sustained at any meeting of the National Bar or the addresses more brilliant and noteworthy, and never has there been displayed such high, united patriotic feeling which never faltered in its support of our leaders in the great war. CHARLES NOBLE GREGORY.

CHRONICLE OF INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

WITH REFERENCES

Abbreviations: Ann. sc. pol., Annales des sciences politiques, Paris; Arch. dipl., Archives Diplomatiques, Paris; B., boletin, bulletin, bolletino; P. A. U., bulletin of the Pan-American Union, Washington; Cd., Great Britain, Parliamentary Papers; Clunet, J. de Dr. Int. Privé, Paris; Current History - Current History A Monthly Magazine of the New York Times; Doc. dipl., France, Documents diplomatiques; B. Rel. Ext., Boletìn de Relaciones Exteriores; Dr., droit, diritto, derecho; D. O., Diario Oficial; For. rel., Foreign Relations of the United States; Ga., gazette, gaceta, gazzetta; Int., international, internacional, internazionale; J., journal; J. O., Journal Officiel, Paris; L., Law; M., Magazine; Mém. dipl., Mémorial diplomatique, Paris; Monit., Belgium, Moniteur belge; Martens, Nouveau recueil général de traités, Leipzig; Official Bulletin, Official Bulletin of the United States; Q. Quarterly; Q. dip., Questions diplomatiques et coloniales; R., review, revista, revue, rivista; Reichs G., Reichs-Gesetzblatt, Berlin; Staats., Staatsblad, Netherlands; State Papers, British and Foreign State Papers, London; Stat. at L., United States Statutes at Large; Times, The Times (London).

August, 1914.

10 GERMANY-UNITED STATES. Emperor William of Germany sent telegram to the President of the United States relative to the origin of the European War. Text: Congressional Record, 55: 6382.

January, 1917.

3 FRANCE. Amended contraband list announced. J. O., Jan. 3, 1917.

February, 1917.

10 NETHERLANDS. Decree promulgated requisitioning Dutch ships. Staatsblad, 1917, No. 211.

March, 1917.

23 SPAIN. Decree promulgated appointing the Marques de Cortuna to negotiate with Great Britain and France an arrangement by which trade may be carried on in the natural and manufactured products of the respective countries. Gaceta de Madrid, March 23, 1917.

April, 1917.

6 NETHERLANDS

GERMANY. Netherlands refused the German demand that armed ships be interned. N. Y. Times, April 7, 1917.

7 NETHERLANDS. Exportation of all metals forbidden. Staatsblad, 1917, No. 279.

14 SWITZERLAND. Declared neutrality in the war between Germany and the United States. J. O., 1917: 3097; Clunet, 44: 1176.

9-June 13. RUSSIA. Proclamations issued by the Provisional Government and the Council of Workmen's and Soldiers' Delegates relative to terms of peace. Texts: Congressional Record, 55: 6889.

May, 1917.

29-June 2. NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS A National Conference on Foreign Relations was held at Long Beach, N. J., under the auspices of the Academy of Political Science in the City of New York and the American Society of International Law. Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science in the City of New York, Vol. 7.

June, 1917.

3 URUGUAY. Uruguayan ship Rosario sunk. La Prensa (Buenos Aires), June 7, 1917.

3 RUSSIA

UNITED STATES.

N. Y. Times, June 4, 1917.

June, 1917.

American Mission arrived in Russia.

4 ROUMANIA UNITED STATES. Roumania informed that a Roumanian mission to the United States would be acceptable. The United States has maintained a Minister to Bucarest but Roumania has never had a representative in Washington. Official Bulletin, Vol. 1, No. 21.

7 LUXEMBURG. Announced that the American Ambassador at Paris had sent to the Department of State a petition addressed to the President presented by representatives of the "FrancoLuxembourgeois" Committee, which consists of people of Luxemburg who have found refuge in Paris. Text: Official Bulletin, Vol. 1, No. 24.