The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1901-10-26
Decision Formed by Friends
of Reciprocity.
ONE WITH ARGENTINA
It Has Been the "Jonah" of These
Treaties All Along.
PROTECTION OF THE PRESIDENT
Glance at Contemplated Congress.
sIOnaI Action Upon This
Subject.

From TAs journal Bureau. Room IS, Pos
Building, WGSIttngsoFA-
Washington, Oct. 26.-It has been decid-
cd by the friends OF the reciprocity trea-
ties, in the final battle for their ratifica-
tion, which will soon open, to abandon the
Argentine treaty. This will obviously not
be done formally. for that would be dis
courteous to the Argentine government,
which has renewed the time at our dis
posal for the treaty's consideration, but
the tip" has quietly been given to let
that compact drop, and, with it out Of the
way to see what can be done with the
others.
The reason for this move is plain. The
Argentine treaty has been the Jonah"
Of the group. II attacked wool, appro-
priately termed the keystone Of the pro-
tective arch" and while the remissions It
offered were but slight and would still
leave a very handsome protection, the
wool growers are so strongly entrenched
politically that they do not need to make
so. The treaty, because Of this effect on
wool, has been more widely discussed and
its terms have become better known than
any other, and hence it has served to dis
credit the whole group with those who
feel the SORROWS" of the wool grower. 1t
is believed that but for it half the oppo-
sition which the new reciprocity move
ment has aroused would have been aver
ted. 1t is now hoped to recover the lost
ground; the senate will be asked in secret
session to weigh the other treaties as a
group and see if they are not worth adopt
ing, but to pay no further attention to
this one. Besides wool, 1t lowers the duty
on hides from Is per cent ad valorem to
II per cent, change Of course distasteful
to the four great beef-packing concerns
Of Chicago, which are enjoying, under the
present law, for the first time in years,
q tariff on an important by-product.
GUARDING In many parts of the
United States, including
THE many square miles of ter
ritory, the President OF
PRESIDENT. the United States might
be struck, beaten, and
even shot. and if he did not die of his
wound, the person committing the assault
could not be punished. There would be
no law, either of the state or the national
government, for his punishment II
President Mckinley had survived his
wound, and IL the shooting had occurred
in the Buffalo postofiee, or on any OF
the land owned by the federal govern
ment, Czolgosz would have had to go un-
punished. Under the constitution, the
federal government has exclusive jurisdic-
ton over the lands which 1t owns the
state laws do not apply. But by some
strange oversight, no federal laws have
been made covering assaults committed
in this jurisdiction. Consequently, there
is q sort OF mo mans land" where Of
lenses against the peace and security OF
the person are unpunishable.
To correct this anomalous condition,
congress will be asked this winter to en-
act law which has been drafted by the
commission which is at work codifying the
federal statutes. 1t Is a paragraph Of the
federal criminal code which has now been
completed and submitted in the form of a
report to the department of justice. This
new section extends the government s
jurisdiction over crime to forts, arsenals,
docks and wharVes owned by the govern
ment, to sites of postofices, custom
houses and other public buildings owned
by the United States, to the mile limit
shore line, to the great lakes and aboard
American vessels, wherever they may be.
In order to provide a larger measure of
security for the life and person Of the
President of the United States, the code
commission has drafted law which will
be presented to congress in the form OF
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threaten the life or person OF the presi-
dent, adding a penalty of $4,000 for that
offense; and an assault upon the person
OF the president is made punishable by
death. But in both instances the assault
or threat must be committed on account
OF the doing or failure to do something
connected with his duties as president.
Much dificulty was experienced in deal
ing with the subject Of law to protect
the president. In order to bring the Of
Tense within the constitutional authority
Of the federal government the crime must
be more than a crime against the person
In the eye OF the law, the president is not
different from any other man. An assault
on him is no greater offense, as the law
now stands, than an assault on the
humblest citizen in the country. More
over, the constitution gives the states the
power to punish crimes within their re-
spective jurisdictions. And in spite OF
any law which congress may pass, the
state will still have the jurisdiction to
punish assaults upon the president in his
private capacity. II the motive for the
crime Is in no way connected with the
presidents official functions, the federal
government cannot step in between the
state and the accused.
No effort has been made to bring such
assault under the head Of treason. The
latter crime Is we'll defined. The death
penalty Is imposed regardless of the re-
suits of the assault; it is not necessary
that the president be killed. Under the
other section of the proposed act will
come written or spoken threats against
the life or person Of the president, always
providing that the incentive for the threat
Is dissatisfaction with the presidents of
fetal acts or policies. Another para
graph Of the law which will be recon-
mended to congress Will include acces-
sories before the fact.
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