The times., 1898-09-05
DRAWING UP A TREATY.
Document Has to Go Through Many
Forms Before Completed.


Document Has to Go Through Many
Forms Before Completed.
About the first of December will be
added to the collection of important in
ternational documents in the State De-
partment the treaty of peace concluded
between Spain and the United States at
the conference to be held in Paris about
the first of October. This treaty will take
rank in Importance and interest with the
treaties of the wars of 1776 and 1872 and
the Mexican war.
The action of the Peace Commissioners
at Paris will not be final The treaty
on which they agree will be subject to
ratification by both countries. Accord
ing to the Constitution and laws of the
United STATES, no treaty with This country
is operative until 1T has gone through five
stages, of which the negotiation and
signing by the Peace Commissioners is
only the first.
When the Peace Commissioners have
reached determination, the treaty as
agreed to will be copied in duplicate, and
each copy will be signed by all the COM
missioners. The copies will be made with
the pen, for the typewriter Is not recog-
niZed in diplomacy. In the Spanish copy
the Spanish commissioners will sign first.
and in the American copy the Americans
The American copy will be brought
back to this country by the secretary OF
/ the American commission and delivered
to the Secretary of State. In the State
Department a message for Congress will
be prepared. 1t viii enIbody the text OF
the treaty. 1t will be written on heavy
sheets of blue paper, fastened together at
;th IL rin 10
dent will sign this message, and Assistant
Secretary Pruden will take ii TO the SEN
ate When the message has been deliver
ed to the Senate, the chairman OF the
Committee on Foreign Relations Will
move an executive session. and behind
closed doors the message will be read. 1t
will probably follow the usual Gus ON
and be referred to the Commit on
| Foreign Relat tons When the Senate ad-
| journs il will be delivered to conilden-
| tial messenger from the Government
Printing Office who win carry 1t to the
Public Printer and under the personal
supervision of the foreman of printing II
will be put into type by spec
| iaI set of compositors. When lhe
work is complete and about 100 copies
, have been run off, the forms and proofs
! will be locked up in the vault. The copies
will be delivered to the secretary of the
. Senate, WHO VIII IttGipl ici ''AN"''
/ Der each one and deliver them TO the
| members of the Senate.
When the treaty has been approved Tor
| the Senate has advised and consented
! to its ratificationD new copy Will De
| made and returned to the President
| with the signature of the president or the
| Senate attested by the secretary OF the
Senate The President, on receipt of
notice that the Senate has given It's con-
/ v,.iII rat the treaty. ana the state
| Department will prepare what Is known
as an exchange copy. This Is the copy
which will be sent to Madrid 10 be pre-
| served there as the permanent record OF
! the government between the countries
! Spain also will prepare an exchange copy
! and send il TO the United States.
/ When it was customary to use wax Tor
the official seal of a state document 1t was
usual for the State Department to inclose
/ the seal of an exchange treaty in round
| silver box. having the national coat OF
! arms in relief Now that waters are used,
| this IS not done, and the exchange treaty
we send TO Spain will doubtless be very
! plain document. 1t will be written IN
| English, on long sheets of blush paper
! known as treaty paper. fastened al the
! side with ribbon. The President VIII
sign il, the signatur of the Secretary OF
| state whoever that may be. will attest
| that or the GTcSlutEr, anu Anth lAit HoN"-
! neut will be taken to the keeper of the
seal of state. II is not enough that the
keeper should recognize the signatures OF
the President and Secretary of State He
must have a signed order from the Presi-
dent, directed TO him. before he will make
the impression of the great seal upon the
red wafer at one corner of the document.
| The treaty, then complete. may be in
! closed sin a box, but it viii probably be
placed in a portfolio Of green leather, en-
bossed and stamped with gold border
The copy which the Queen Regent of
Spain will sign and Prime Minister Sa-
| gasta will forward TO this country will
| differ from ours. 1t will be in two Ian
| guages-Spanish and French--and it viii
| probably be engrossed on vellum and in
closed in a carved or ornamented box.
| Almost all the exchange treaties on file
| in the State Department are very ornate,
and some are decorated in silver and gold.
The exchange of ratifications is the
fourth step toward the completion of the
treaty. The fifth and final step is the
proclamation of the treaty by the Presi-
dent