The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-03-18

Washington, March 1.-THE senate
committee on foreign relations spent
two hours this morning in the consid-
Grafton of the general treaty of arbi-
! tration with Great Britain and then
ordered a favorable report TO be made
to the senate tomorrow with amend
ments in line with those indicated in
previous dispatches of the United AS
ISOLATED Presses The amendments
are administrative only in character.
The scope of the treaty has not been
touched. Much of the public criticism
against the action of the committee
during the last session was due to the
alleged fact that the committee had
emasculated the convention and made
/ it practically a shell. The amendment
! to the first article, that no question
| relative to the foreign or domestic
I policy of either party should be in
! Guided, which was previously given
such prominence, has disappeared en-
( tirely The same result is reached,
however, in a very different manner.
The designation of King Oscar of
! Sweden and Norway as the umpire
| has been stricken out as has been all
reference to the justices of the SUI
preme court of the United States as
members of tribunal established under
the treaty. In place of this designa
ton, it is stipulated that "jurists of
repute" shall be named by the presi-
dent to act as such arbitrator. The
chief amendment of the convention,
however is found in the clause which
I reserves to the United States the
sanction of the whole treaty-making
power in deciding what questions shall
be submitted to arbitration. This pro-
/ vision will mako il napaSSoTV for the
president to submit to the senate for
| its approval all questions intended to
be submitted to the arbitration court
The committee have acted in the be-
lief that it has only reserved to this
government the identical power re-
served by Great Britain, which, under
the treaty, decides through its premier
what questions shall be arbitrated.
Under the British form of government
one man alone-the premier, acting
for the crown-determines all matters
of this sort and is the sole treaty-mak-
ing power of that nation. There is
under this general treaty no deviation
from the universal rule of the British
government, and reasoning thus the
senate committee believes there is no
reason why there should be any change
in the practiceS-baSed upon these
stipulations of the written constitu-
tion-that have governed such ques-
TONS with us since the VI
our government. In other words, both
powers are made equal and the subse-
quent proceedings under the treaty,
after it shall be ratified, will proceed
according to the laws of the respective
governments of the contracting par
ties.
It is needless to thus point out that
under the treaty as thus amended no
argument can consistently be advanced
that the senate is relinquishing any o.
the prerogatives given it by the con-
stitution. 1t will, in ratifying this
treaty. indorse and subscribe to the
doctrine of universal arbitration to
which the United, States stands
pledged, and then leave all questions
as to details connected with the sub
mission of specific subjects to the con-
stituted authorities of both countries,
Acting Chairman Davis will urge as
speedy action in the senate as possible.
It is quite likely that much of the
time during the next two weeks will
be spent in executive session. Pending
the arrival of the tariff bill in the
senate the treaty will be discussed
together with the consideration of the
court nominations, and it is the con-
fident expectation of the committee
that it will be able to have this con-
vention out of the way by the 1st of
April.