The sun., 1900-12-08
FATE OF TREATY IN DOUBT.
yOTE 70 HE TAKEN ON DavIs aNEyD.
NEWT Ov THI RSDay NFNT.
II VIII lie Adapted bya IarGe
Majority. bat u May Not satisfy scns.
tor. who Favor Com piete Control Of
the Canal Teller Ursss the Abross-
ton Of the CLAYTON ~ uiwer Treaty.


WASHINGTON, Dec "A vote will be taken
in the Senate. sitting In executive session.
on Thursday next at 3 O'Clock, on the Davis
amendment to the Hay-Pauncefotc Canal
Treaty The amendment will be adopted
by a large majority. and II is hoped that soon
afterward q final vote can be had on the
treaty itself. the ratification OF which VIII
require a two-thirds vote. or course II the
amendment should fail. the treaty could not
be ratified and would be abandoned alto
gether. IL IL not certain that the senators
who favor policy that will give the United
States FUN and complete control Of the canal
will be satisfied with the pending amendment
They may insist upon the adoption OF an
amendment that may be positive In giving
the United states full power to control alb
solutely its own waterway. Such proposed
amendment has been hinted at more than
once in the debate OF the past few day. but
none has vet been offered. Senator Lodge, IN
charg Of the treaty on the hoor OF the Senate.
and who has stated TO the Senate his be-
lief that the Davis amendment does not give
tho United States authority To ioTtliE 'he
canal, is confident that the amendment VIII
be adopted aud that the rathcauoh Oh 'he
treaty "a amended will not be long Delayed
As far as can be learned the British Govern
ment Is still as strongly opposed TO mo amend
,nent of the treaty as its otiators, sir Julian
Pauncefote and Secretary Hay, are. although
IL is understood that President Mckinney
much prefers the treaty with the amendment
than no treaty at all.
Senator Teller was the principal speaker
at to-day's executive session. lie was pre-
ceded for a short time by Mr.. Morgan. WHO
reiterated his belief that the hay-Pauhce-
forte treaty ought TO he ratihed wthou'
amendment. but said that he WAS ready to
vote for the amendment or any o'her propo-
sI,ion that would result In the construction
by this Government Of the Nicaragua Canal
Mr. Teller held that the State Department
had made a serious mistake In recognizing
the existence of the Clayton-Bnlwer treaty,
a convention that had for years been dead
letter. The terms Of that treaty. he contend
ed. had been violated by Great Britaln'shoruy
after It had gone into effect, and during the
ATTY wears of its existence IL had failed to
repress Great Britain. but had been invoked
by that nation a. against the United states
whenever this Government had brought
IN the subject for the construction OF a canal
across the isthmus.
MIR Teller read freely from tie reports
OF the Senate Committee on Foreign ne
lations and the opinions OF the Secretaries
of State and instructions TO our Ministers
abroad to show that the tlayton-bui"er
treaty was not considered as binding upon
this Government In connection with the con-
struction Of an interocenn canal
Mr. Teller asked Senators Frye and Nor
gan how II happened that they were both
I'm favor OF tho ratification OF the HAY
Pauncefote treaty. which recognized the e1-
i.,ence Of the old treaty. when each OF them
had nine years ago. in 1851. signed a report
which maintained that the Clay ton-bulwer
treaty, which the present convention seeks
TO modify, was a dead letter and obsolete
He asked them II they still adhered to those
principles 90 foroibly enunclated ten years
ago.
Mr.. Frye did not answer. but Mr.. Morgan
replied that he did. He still believed that
IL would be the proper thing TO sbrosste
the Clayton Bulwer treaty and get rid OF It.
but he said that the Secretary Of State now
thought that the ratification OF the Hay
Pauncefote treaty was the best course to
pursue, inasmuoh as 1t got rid OF the undue
restrictions imposed by the old treaty and
enabled this country to build. own and con-
troll the canal Mr.. Morgan asserted. how
ever, that he was in favor Of the Hay-Paunce-
fote treaty, the abrogation Of the Clayton
Bulwer treaty, or any other means that
might be advanced. SO long as the canal
was constructed.
Mr.. Teller replied that he did not think some
Of the Senators who now advocated the Hay
Pauncefote treaty were consistent in their
course II the Clayton-}ulwer treaty ought
to be abroga;ed he failed to see how the
ratification of the Hay-Pau ncefote treaty
could satisfy them. SO far as he was con-
cerned. he declared that he stood where
Secretary Blaine had stood. He believed
that the only policy was the immediate and
uncondl tional abroga,ion OF the Clayton
Bulwer treaty. and that too. by special
enactment Of Congress. so that there could
be no ouibble. no mislnterpretation Of the
purpose of Congress or the intention Of the
American people on this subject.
Mr.. Beveridge asked IL 1t was not true
that Russia had held that treaties were made
only for a specific period Of time and that
through changing conditions they repealed
themselves.
Mr.. Teller replied that that was inter-
national law: that treaties were not irrev-
ocable. but that they depended upon con-
ditions That was exactly the case In con-
nection with the Nicaragua Canal The
conditions had changed and Great Britain
could no longer invoke her old treaty "a a
bar 10 the construction of the canal by this
Government. and its protection and defence
in such way as this Government might de-
termine was best
The talk Of the possibility Of war with Great
Brit ain did not cause Mr.. Teller any concern.
ne declared that that was idle and intended
to frighten those who could be frightened by
such nonsense. Great Britain. he said. would
not take offence AZ the attitude OF this Cow
eminent on the canal question. The repre-
scntatives Of the English Government in this
country knew the trend OF public sentiment
and we're prepared to accept II. for the reason
that friendship with the United States was
the great desire the EnslishGovernmen and
the English-speaking people. and the F. lFlish
Government recognized that IL had no right
of equity in the case IL was endeavoTing to
make ont through the medium OF the pending
treaty.
In conclusion Mr.. Teller said that II the
Senate could not see its way clear 10 abrogate
the Clayton-Bulwer treaty then IL ought by
all means to amend the pending treaty 50 as
to remove the vital objections and give this
Government the rights that belonged 20 IL.
The treaty must. he said. he so amended that
the United States can construct the canal In
its own way and protect and defend IL as 1t
deems best for the interests Of this country.