The record-union., 1897-04-02
ARBITRATION TREATY.
SENATE CONCLUDES CONSIDER.
ALTON OF AMENDMENTS.
Claims Against Southern States Exs
empted From the Operation of
the Convention.

WASHINGTON, April 1.-The Senate
to-day in executive session concluded
its consideration of all amendments to
the Anglo-American arbitration treaty.
The voting on additional amendments
began at + o'clock after three hours of
general debate, and in the hour and a
half which followed about a dozen
propositions We're passed upon. Two
only were adopted, except some making
verbal changes. OF those adopted one
offered by Senator Bacon exempts the
claims against Southern States from
the operations of the treaty. and the
other, introduced by Senator Morgan.
eliminates Article s of the treaty.
Much of the debate of the day turn
ed upon these amendments. Their sup
porters contended that under the Con-
sttution State claims could not be
made the subject of negotiation under a
treaty The point was also made that
the claims against the Southern States
were contracted during the period of
reconstruction, and We're not legitimate
obligations. 1t was held. on the other
hand, that under the amendments all
ready adopted it would be impossible
to hold the Southern claims subject TO
the treaty. Senator'S Gray and Lindsay
presented the latter view.
Many of the amendments voted down
were directed to putting limitations on
| the first article. Propositions of this
character were maze by Senators But
Ter, Chiffon and Bacon, and all were
rejected by the uniform majority Of
five. This was the result of a precon-
certed move to sustain the Committee
of Foreign Relations, which took a po-
sition against further amending this
article
Senator Buffers amendmnet is q fair
specimen of others offered to this arti-
Gle He moved to add the words
treaty or convention" to the article,
making it provide for the submission
to arbitration of all questions in diff
ference incapable of settlement by dip
lomatic negotiations, treaty or conven-
uon
Mr.. Butler explained his purpose to
be to avoid a construction of the Ian
guage of the treaty as it now stands,
which would permit the settlement of
all international disputes by diplo-
matte negotiations, and saying that a
willful Chief Executive might refuse to
DTlnS any International controversy TO
the attention of the Senate for it's CO.
operation. unless the clause should be
modified in some such manner as his
amendment provided
When the point was made that this
was a strained construction, the North
| Carolina Senator called attention to
the claim set up for Cleveland in the
matter of Cuban independence, that the
power of recognition rested exclusively
! with the Executive. He warned them
against leaving any openings for the
extension of Executive power.
/ An interesting incident of the session
was Senator Chambers refusal to
agree to final vote on the treaty to-
/ day. He called attention to the Asso-
ciated Press dispatches in regard to the
situation in Crete, and said that he did
not feel disposed to enter into negotia-
tions with any Power whose guns were
trained upon community of Chris
tians struggling to throw off the yoke
of Moslemism. He also spoke of Eng
lands conduct toward the Beers of the
Transvaal as deserving of condemna-
/ ton and cause for hesitation in the
present negotiations. He said he would
probably in the end vote for the treaty.
/ but that he was not in the mood for it
! to-day.