The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-02-14
ARBITRATION.
BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES
AND ENGLAND.
The Proposition, as now Pending, Would
it is Thought, Result Disastrously
to Our Monroe Doctrine-Other
Obstacles to Be Considered.

Nn"inston, Feb. 10.-The recent visit
| I, Wasl ington of Mr.. Dreamer, the Brl--
| ish member of parliament, who was charg-
ed with the presentation to our govern
ment of a memorial signed by about 3oO OF
his colleagues in parliament urging the ne
collation. of arbitration treaties with Great
Britain. has resulted in stimulating inter
est in that project, which had rather Tag
ged since the introduction of the Alllsoh
resolution some years ago. In congress
| the proposition has taken tangible shape
| in n radical joint resolution submitted by
Senator Sherman and referred to the com
mittee on foreign relations, fully author
izing the president to move in the matter.
While this resolution has not been entire
| " acceptable to the advocates of the
scheme it has served its purpose of form
ing the basis of consideration by the COM
But meanwhile negotiations have been
onened as vet only preliminary in nature
! between our government and the British
ambassador that will, it is said, If 1t re-
suit in the contamination of treaty, be
| fraught with the gravest consequences so
far as the United States is concerned. In
! its present shape the proposition is eX-
tremely broad, though it may be narrow
ed MS the negotions progress, for IT con-
| Templates nothing less than general
| treaty, 10 which the United States and all
of the great European powers shall be par
ties by the terms of which any matter in
dispute between any of the signatory pow
ers which cannot be adjusted by the or
binary methods of diplomacy shall be
submitted to arbitration.
There is nothing substantially new in
this proposition which has been discussed
for many years in various shapes, hut
the fact that negotiations have actully
! begun and is at last really within the
reach of possibility has had the effect to
| draw the attention of certain senators
| who must pass upon such treaty to grave
consequences that might be expected to
follow its ratification. For instance it
has been urged that the Monroe doctrine,
upon which our predominance in this
! hemisphere depends, will be speedily
dismissed us of no force in an arbitration:
Each of the signatory powers would
| be represented upon the arbitration COM
mission and as the European powers
would be largely in the majority there
could be but one result should any ques.
ton be submitted involving the applica-
! ton of this doctrine to which they have
never subscribed, and have tolerated only
because of the ability of the United States
to maintain against any single power.
Another 0NJecuOn tndt hdS OeSl alFdnc-
ed is that the arbitration treaty ould alb
solutely deny the right of revolution, and
this might be very serious matter 10 the
United States. In the event that Canada
should cast off allegiance to Great Britain
it would be impossible for this country to
recognize her independence, much less
annex the dominion, even upon the unani-
nous application of its people
OF late years the major part of our ne
gotiations with European powers has been
made up of the settlement of difficulties
growing out of our insistance upon the
recognition of citizenship of naturalized
Americans. Upon this issue the United
States is at variance with almost all Euro
pean countries, which have found it es-
sential to the maintenance of their sys'
tens of enforced military service to deny
the right of eXpatriation to the subjects
and if such question were submitted tc
! arbitration the United States would be
certainly defeated in its contention and
there would he no safety for our natural
lied citizens anywhere outside of the
| United States.
These are few of the difficulties that
at present beset the pathway of negOtia-
tons leading to a general arbitration
treaty, and it is doubtful if they can be
, overcome