First Bryan Peace Treaty Is Signed.

New York Times 100 years ago today, August 8, 1913:
Salvador and the United States Agree Not to Go Hurriedly to War.
Special to The New York Times.
    WASHINGTON, Aug. 7.— For the next five years the United States and Salvador will not go to war without first thinking it over seriously. This was settled this afternoon when the two countries signed the first of the international peace treaties under the Bryan plan for world-wide peace. Although the treaty is to undergo the ordeal of ratification by the Senate, officials of the State Department are confident that it will go into force as intended. The signers were Secretary Bryan and Don Federico Mejia, the Minister of Salvador.
    The signing of the first treaty comes just four months after Secretary Bryan advanced his peace plan as one of the cardinal policies of President Wilson's Administration. The idea contemplates that when two nations feel like going to war they shall sit down and think while an international jury examines their ground of dispute and brings in a report. Then they may fight or not just as they choose.
    The underlying theory of the plan is the rudimentary fact in human nature that if two intending combatants hesitate they are both lost so far as the impending scrap is concerned, and what might have been war breaks up in a flooding sense of the humor of the situation.
    The text of the treaty with Salvador is of interest inasmuch as it is the form prepared for all the peace treaties, just as all the arbitration treaties arranged five years ago by Secretary Root were planned on one form. The treaty follows:
    The Republic of Salvador and the United States of America, being desirous to strengthen the bonds of amity that bind them together and also to advance the cause of general peace, have resolved to enter into a treaty for that purpose, and to that end have appointed as their Plenipotentiaries the President of Salvador, Senor Don Federico Mejia, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Salvadore to the United States, and the President of the United States and the Honorable William Jennings Bryan, Secretary of State, who, after having communicated to each other their respective full powers, found to be in proper form, have agreed upon the following articles:
    Article I. The high contracting parties agree that all disputes between them, of every nature whatsoever, which diplomacy shall fall to adjust, shall be submitted for investigation and report to an International Commission, to be constituted in the manner prescribed in next succeeding article; and they agree not to declare war or begin hostilities during such investigation and report.
    Article II. The International Commission shall be composed of five members, to be appointed as follows:
    One member shall be chosen from each country by the Government thereof, one member shall be chosen by each Government from some third country, the fifth member shall be chosen by common agreement between the two Governments. The expenses of the commission shall be paid by the two Governments in equal proportion.
    The International Commission shall be appointed within four months after the exchange of the ratification of this treaty, and vacancies shall be filled according to the manner of the original appointment.
    Article III. In case the high contracting parties shall have failed to adjust a dispute by diplomatic methods, they shall at once refer it to the International Commission for investigation and report. The International Commission may, however, act upon its own initiative, and in such cases it shall notify both Governments and request their co-operation in their investigation.
    The report of the International Commission shall be completed within one year after the date on which it shall declare its investigation to have begun, unless the high contracting parties shall extend the time by mutual agreement. The report shall be prepared in triplicate; one copy shall be presented to each Government and the third retained by the commission for its files.
    The high contracting parties reserve the right to act independently on the subject matter of the dispute after the report of the commission shall have been submitted.
    Article IV. Pending the investigation and report of the International Commission, the high contracting parties agree not to increase their military or naval programmes, unless danger from a third power should compel such increase. In which case the party feeling itself menaced shall confidentially communicate the fact in writing to the other contracting party, whereupon the latter shall also be released from its obligation to maintain its military and naval status quo.
    Article V. The present treaty shall be ratified by the President of the Republic of Salvador, with the approval of the Congress thereof; and by the President of the United States of America, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate thereof, and the ratifications shall be exchanged as soon as possible. It shall take effect immediately after the exchange of ratifications, and shall continue in force for a period of five years; and it shall thereafter remain in force until twelve months after one of the high contracting parties have given notice to the other of an intention to terminate it.
    By its projectors the fact that this treaty is made between one of the greatest and one of the smallest of nations is regarded as exemplifying in the highest degree the true spirit of the peaceful settlement of international issues.