The age-herald., 1900-02-12
SUBCOMMITTEE
 HAS THE TREATY Morgan, Davis and Lodge Have
 It in Charge.
SOME OF THE OBJECTIONS
There is Considerable Sentiment That Convention Should Have Provided Absolutely fo- Abrogation of
 Clayton-Bulwer Treaty

Washington, February 11.-(Special)- )-The Hay-Pauncefote treaty is now in the hands of sub committee of the senate committee on foreign relations, consisting of Senator Morgan of Alabama, Senator Davis of Min nesota and Senator Lodge of MassacAu- se5ts. The treaty wjll not, from present in dications, be considered by the full commit tee before next Wednesday and it will be surprising if it as reported to the senate for ten days or a fortnght-if that soon. There Is, then, no purpose to act hastily in this regard. The questions involved are so important to demand careful study and the foreign relations committee pro- poses to thoroughly understand every point involved before it presents the treaty to the senate for its consideration. There has been considerable opposition to the treaty, but there is really nothing to justify the belief that its ratification Is at all in doubt. The opposition seems, if any thing, to have lessened though there Is some possibility that the democrats may oppose tue measure on the ground that it is favored by the administration But, though some democrats have expressed themselves in private, there really seems to be no reason to expect any concerted action of that kind.
 There Is considerable sentiment, how ever. that the new constitution should have provided absolutely for the atbroga- tion of the Clayton-Bulwer treaty but Senator Morgan has called attention to the fact that there are provisions in the origi- nal treaty that are valuable to the United States.
 The First Article
 The first article provides, among other things, that the United States and Great Britain agree that neither will colonize or assume or exercise any dominion over Nicaragua, Costa Rica or the Mosquito Coast, or any part of Central America; nor will either make use of any protection which either affords or may afford, or any alliance which either has or may have to or with any state or people for the purpose of erecting or maintaining any such fortifica- tions or occupying, fortifying or colonizing Nicaragua, Costa Rica or the Mosquito Coast, or any part of Central America, OF of assuming or exercising dominion over the same" That portion of the treaty is a recognition, in sense of the doctrine of non-interference by Great Britain with Gen. tral American affairs, and to that extent IS reSdTueu as lInpOrtanI It mas been nelu in the past that Great Britain has really by her acts abrogated the treaty, but the sign ing of the amending convention by the United States and Great Britain is really an acknowledgement of the continuance in force of the Clayton-Bulwer treaty.
 Some senators are inclined to hold that we should have the right to fortify the pro- posed canal but if the nations of the earth recognize its neutrality, it has been asked what is the necessity of so doing. Then, again, the United States Is at present in ne- gotiation for the acquisition of the Danish Galapagos Islands from Ecuador, for naval bases.
 These islands on each side of the isthmus command the entrance to the canal, and in war time would enable the United States to attack any enemys ships that used the canal or after they had come through it or to prevent their entrance by such attack. There is the further point that is raised by the friends of the treaty, and 1t is that neither Nicaragua nor Costa Rica could under international law grant the United States the right to erect Notifications on their territory.
 As to the point of protecting the canal the United States will have the power to police the waterway under the terms of the treaty provided, of course, Nicaragua and Costa Rica assent which it is expected they will do when consenting again to its con- struction