Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-02-07
CLAIMED BY THE HOUSE.

\
sented resolution in the house
directing inquiry as 10 the right
of that branch of congress to par
ticipate with the senate in form
ing reciprocal treaties. 1t IS
claimed that these treaties are es-
sentially revenue measures and,
therefore, shoulA originate in the
house of representatives as pro-
vided by Sec. 7, Art. I, of the
constitution.
In the senate a sub committee
consisting of Senator's Cullom,
Spooner, Foraker and Bacon
has reported that the president
has pow~r to negotiate such
treaties, aud that they are efec-
tive as soon as ratified by the
senate, whether they do or do
not contain provisions for imposts
or duties.
The constitution places the
treaty-making power in. the
hands of the president and the
senate. During the second term
of Washington it was claimed
that the house had a right to
= withhold the appropriation neces-
sary if it deemed the treaty un-
wise. This subject was earnest
ly debated when the president
called On congress to furnish the
funds necessary to carry into eff
feet the treaty made with En-
gland by John Jay in 1894. This
was a very unpopular treaty, and
was bitterly assailed by the re-
publicans of that time. The
house requested the president to
lay before it the documents relat-
ing to the treaty. Washington
declined to do so and denied that
the house had any constitutional
right to participate in making
treaties. Adams and Jefferson
during their respective admins
trations held the same views as
Washington. 1t became the set
tied Interpretation of the consti-
tuition that although a treaty
should require an appropriation
to carry it into effect it is in nc
sense "a money BILL" The con-
stitutional provision which re-
quires that call bills for raising
revenue shall originate in the
house of Representatives" is bor-
rowed from the English house Of
commons. Whatever reasons
may exist for it there, they have
no existence with us. The SEN
ate has power to amend revenue
bills and it is difficult to see why
it might not as we'll have power
to originate them.
The senate has already virtual
1y decided that treaties contain
ing provisions relating to imposts
or duties are not necessarily bills
for raising revenue. The provi-
sions for administering the Ding
ley tariff law empowers the presi-
dent under certain conditions to
make reciprocity treaties. The
house had a part in fixing these
conditions when it passed the
tariff act. Reciprocity treaties
are authorized and framed, not
with purpose of raising revenue,
but for the purpose of extending
our trade with other nations when
it is desirable and practicable to
do so without injury to our own
productive industries. To do this
the president is authorized to re-
NIT in whole or in part certain
duties imposed by the tariff laws.
Instead of raising revenue, it is
clear that such treaties rather
contemplate reduction of it.
1t is probable that the house is
mot really in earnest in this con-
tention. 1t sees several reciproc-
ity treaties held up in the senate
where they have been bufetted
about and where persistent efforts
have been made by free traders
to force them to do duty inimical
to protection. The house seeks
to spur the senate to decisive and
desirable action concerning these
treaties. Our free list embraces
almost everything we require and
do not ourselves produce. This
renders it difficult to frame reci-
procity treaties. The enemies of
protection. the opponents of the
administration, and a few finical
senators have been able, 90 far,
to prevent the ratification of
pending treaties. They will ulti-
mately be conpleteda as the friends
Z