The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-05-15
THE ARBITRATION TREATY RE.
JECTED.

JECTBD.
The rejection by the United States
Senate of the arbitration treaty be.
tween this country and Great Brit
ain marks a distinctly retrograde
step in the history of modern civil
cation, which is by no means atoned
for by Senator Bacon's joint resolu-
ton declaring it to be the gem
eral policy of the United States to
settle disputes with all other ma
tions by arbitration. This is too
much like the Justice of the Peace
who was in favor of certain law but
against its enforcement" Certain
ly, if the Senate of the United States
desires to settle disputes with other
nations by arbitration, no grander be-
ginning could have been made than
by ratifying the pact of peace as it
came to the Senate signed by Am
bassador Pauncefote and Richard
Olney.
But for weeks, and even months,
the rejection of the treaty has been
foregone conclusion. The various
Senate amendments, which profess
eddy were proposed in order to pro-
tect the interests of this country
against what were supposed to be the
deep-laid schemes of Great Britain,
had but one effect, that of emascula-
ting the treaty and making its adop-
ton, in its amended form, ridiculous
and absurd.
After the life had been taken from
the treaty it would have been a mere
farce to ratify it. Even had the
treaty been ratified by the Senate in
the form in which it was finally voted
upon, it is almost certain it would
have been rejected by Lord Salisbury,
as, after the Senate tinkerers got
through with it, its original negotia-
tors could scarcely have recognized
it as the document to which they had
appended their signatures months
ago.
Aside from the sufficient reason
given above, as to why the treaty was
finally rejected, though lacking only
three votes of the requisite two-thirds,
it is also said at Washington that
Great Britain's recent attitude on
the sealing question and her nominal
stand with Turkey against Crete had
much to do with the Senate's reiec-
ton of the peace treaty. Michael
Davitt, Patrick Egan and other Irish
patriots also assume responsibility for
the defeat of the treaty and their ar
gument, conciding with the natural
jingoism of the Senate, doubtless had
some effect. The silver Senators,
also, are said to have opposed it
through their fesling toward Great
Britain as the chief defender of the
gold standard.
All these influences, doubtless, aid
ed in bringing the Senate into oppo-
sition. as did also the bitter feeling
aroused against the ex-Secretary of
State, Olney, in regard to his attitude
toward the Senate's powers and pre-
negatives in the matter of the SEN
ate's resolutions as to Cuba. With
so many influences actively exerted
against the treaty and but little real
enthusiasm shown in championing it,
it is not strange that the Senate at
last terminated the long debate over
the treaty by rejecting it.
One good thing, however, has been
accomplished by the agitation. 1t
has been demonstrated beyond cavil
that the general sentiment of the
English speaking people is in favor
of arbitration as method of settling
disputes between nations of a COM
mon origin, history, literature and
civilization. Senator Bacon's Joint
resolution, which will doubtless
pass the Senate and House almost
unanimously, and receive the sigma
ture of President Mckinley, will
officially place this country on the
side of peace.
Despite the jingoism of certain
senators the sentiment of the Amer
lean people was so manifestly in
favor of peaceable methods in set
Ting disputes with England that
they have been compelled to give