New-York tribune., 1900-12-15
MORE TREATY CHANGES.
TWO RADICAL AMENDMENTS
RECOMMENDED.
THE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE
PROPOSES TO STRIKE OUT ARTICLE
III AND TO ABRoGATE THE
CLAYTON-BULWER TREATY.
BIT TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBUxz.l


Washington. Dec. 14-Encouraged by their
easy triumph in the Senate yesterday. the eIe-
ments in that body which have urged
radical modification Of the Hay-P -Pauncefote
Canal Treaty decided to-day to insist on
still further changes in the convention be-
fore resubmitting it for British approval
The vague and academic quality OF the So
called Davis amendment, while attracting the
votes Of many Senator's who deemed its pro-
visions OF little practical significance or i'm
pOrtanee, excited also the distrust Of other Sen
atOrs. who consider complete and final abro-
cation Of the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty the only
object now worth this country's while negotiat-
ing for. To remove this dlstrust the Republican
managers in the Senate have inserted clause
in Article II of the treaty which denOunces def
initely and in toto the ClaytOn-Bulwer compact
and thereby leaves the United States in a posi-
tion to formulate it's future policy in Central
America without reference to the joint interests
of Great Britain In order also, 70 remove the
objection that an appeal for general iuterna-
tional consent to the naturalization OF the canal
involved departure from traditional American
doctrine. that section OF the treaty which pro-
vided for the submission Of the Hay-Pauncefote
agreement to other Powers than the United
States and Great Britain was stricken out Of the
convention.
The first Of these amendments inserts the
words which is hereby superseded after the
words "Clayton-BuIwer Treaty" IN the first
paragraph OF Article II of the treaty. making
that paragraph read as follows:
The high contracting parties. desiring to nr.-
serve and maintain the general principle OF nerI-
tralization established in Article VIII OF the
ClaytOn-Bulwer Convention. which Is hereby
superseded adopt as the basis of such neutral
zation the following rules. substantially as en-
bodied in the convention between Great Britain
and certain other Powers signed at Constantf-
nOFle on October 90 1883 for the free naviga-
tion Of the Suez Maritime Canal
The second amendment strikes out ArticI. III
OF the treaty, reading as follows:
The high contracting parties will immediately
convention. bring it to the notice of the other
Powers and invite them to adhere to IT.
With these changes authorized by a confer
ence Of Republican managers and approved by
an almost unanimous vote OF the COMMITTEES on
Foreign Relations. the treaty was again sub
mitted for discussion in secret session. and a
straightout fight was begun between those SEN
ators who favor approval of a modified form as
means Of fastening the construction OF a
more or less neutralized isth1nian canal ard
those who contend for the building and control
OF such waterway under American auspices
alone In amending the Hay-Pauncefote Con-
ventiOn that IL provides neither for COM
pIete naturalization for absolute American
ownership and domination. the Senate undoubt-
edly challenges. while it does not definitely re-
pudiate. the wisdom and policy Of the Executive
Department by which the agreement was drawn.
OF recent years however. the upper house OF
Congress has become more and more accustomed
to assert it's power and prerogatives at the ex-
pense Of the Executive branch of the treaty
making authority. The Senate not many years
ago openly rebuked Secretary OIney for nego-
tiating the Pauncefote Arbitration Treaty. It
has again evinced it's purpose to have. far
as possible. the final word in the great nego-
tiations into which this country is likely to be
more and more frequently drawn.
What ultimate consequences the Senate's
tion yesterday and to-day the pending treaty
will have in altering the views. the policy and
the management Of the State Department 1t is
still altogether too early to say.