The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-02
AMENDED TO DEATH
SENATORS HAVE MADE OVER THE
TREATY UNTIL 1T SUITS
THEM.
NOT MUCH OF 1T is LEFT.
OUT AS A FINAL DAYS
WORK
NO TIME FOR A DECISIVE VOTE.
Last Amendment DisDOsed of A.
cord1ng TO the Agreement Decid-
ed Upon by the Senate
WASHINGTON Anri1 !

WASHINGTON, April 1.-The senate
today, in executive session. concluded
It's consideration Of all amendments to
the arbitration treaty. The voting on
additional amendments began at 4
o'cock, after three hours of general de-
bate, and in the hour and a half which
followed, about a dozen propositions
were passed upon Two only were
adopted, except some making verbal
changes. One Of those adopted. offered
Oy senator Bacon, eXempts the claims
against the Southern states from the
operations of the treaty, and the other
by Mr. Morgan, eliminates article of
the treaty.
Much of the debate turned upon these
amendments. Their supporters con-
tended that under the constitution.
state claims could not be made the sub
Ject of negotiation under the treaty.
The point was also made that the
claims against the Southern states were
contracted during the period of recon-
struct1on and were not legitimate OBJ
hgatons. 1t was held, on the other
hand, that under the amendments al
ready adopted it would be impossible
to hold the Southern claims subject to
the treaty. Senators Gray and Lind
say presented the latter view. MANY
of the amendments voted down were
directed to putting limitation on the
first article. Propositions of this char
acter were made by Senators Butler,
Chiffon and Bacon, and all were re-
jected by uniform majority of five
This was the result of a preconcerted
move to sustain the committee on for
eign relations, which took a position
against further amending this article
Senator Buffers amendment is a fair
specimen Of others offered. He moved
to add the words treaty or conven-
ton" to the article, making it provide
for the submission to arbitration Of
all questions in difference incapable Of
settlement by diplomatic negotiation.
treaty or convention. Mr.. Butler ex-
planned his purpose to be to avoid
construction Of the language Of the
treaty as it now stands, which would
permit the settlement of all interna-
tional disputes by diplomatic negotia-
ton, and saying that a Willful chief eX-
ecutiVe might refuse to bring any in
ternational controversy to the atten-
ton of the senate for it's cooperation
unless the clause should be modified
in some such manner as his amend
ment provided. When the point was
made that this was a strained construc-
ton, the North Carolina senator called
attention to the claim set up for Mr..
Cleveland in the matter Of Cuban in
dependence that the power of recogni-
ton rested exclusively with the execu-
tive. He warned the senate against
leaving any openings for the extension
of executive power.
An interesting incident of the SEES
sion was Senator Chambers refusal to
agree to a final vote on the treaty to-
day. He called attention to the dis
patches in regard to the situation in
Crete, and said that he did not feel
disposed to enter into negotiations with
any power whose guns were trained
upon a community of Christians strug-
Cling to throw off the yoke Of Turkey
He also spoke Of England's conduct
towards the Beers of the TransVaal as
deserving of condemnation and a cause
for hesitation in the present negotia-
tons. He said he would probably in
the end vote for the treaty, but that
he was not in the mood for it today
No day was fixed for a final vote.