The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1903-03-19
CANAL TREATY SAFE
Ratification of Convention Has
Been Made a Certainty.
CUBAN TREATY IS Held UP
Goes Over to New Congress, In Order
that Rouse May Act Upon 1t. :!
Contention of Demo. -
Gratis Upheld. s.

A Washington special says: me
senate by unanimous consent Thurs
day agreed to vote on the Colombian
canal treaty Tuesday. The amend
ments to the treaty to be considered
Monday. The request for unanimous
agreement was made by Senator Frye.
The agreement is in part as follows:
THAT, not later than Tuesday next
the vote upon the resolution for rati'
fication shall be taken without further
debate. That the Injunction or secre-
CIV shall. be removed from the speeches
of Senator Morgan already printed and
submitted to senators, including that
to be made by him on the response to
the senate resolution calling for iafor'
nation as to the agreement besWeen
the Panama Canal Company and our
government, and they shall be printed
in The Record. and that the speech
or speeches made for and against the
ratification of the treaty during the
hour of general debate allowed eacn
side shall be printed in The Record IN
like manner as the speeches OF Sena-
tor Morgan"
On motion Of Senator German the
Injunction of secrecy was removed
from the agreement.
Many republicans agree that the two
amendments proposed by the demo
Gratis ought to be adopted, but they
fear any changes will endanger the
treaty. There Is every reason, there
fore to believe that the amendments
will be voted down and the treaty rati'
fed as it stands.
As to Cuban Treaty.
During the days session the dem
ocrats scored a distinct victory IN the
matter of the Cuban treaty by forcing
the republicans to accept their amend
ment providing that the treaty shall
not 70 into effect until it is approved
by the congress. This is the point
for which the democrats have been
making their strongest fight, the one
which they have regarded as most I'M
portant of all those under considera'
tion. The republican leaders for their
own political purposes have desired to
avoid the adoption Of such sn amend
ment to the treaty, fearing 1t would
lead to an embarrassing tariff fight Ia
the new congress, out they found that
the best constitutional lawyers on
their side agreed that the democratic
contention was right, and they accord
ingly surrendered and permitted q
unanimous adoption Of this amend
ment by the foreign relations commit
tee. This, of course, brought a unani'
nous report for the treaty as amend
ed. The amendment is in these
words:
"This treaty shall not take effect un'
til the same shall nave been approved
by the congress-"
This amendment removes from this
treaty the grave question "nether 'ne
president and the senate have the pow
er to change the tariff laws by q
treaty made with a foreign govern
ment. The original treaty assumed
that the president and senate have
this power and contained no provision
recognizing that an act OF congress
would be necessary to make the treaty
effective. The democratic senators
have, from the beginning strenuously
contended that the president and the
senate do not have this power under
the constitution. and have insisted
that the Cuban treaty should be so
amended that it should not be erect
i've until made so bv act or joint reso'
luton of congress. This contention
Is based upon the constitutional pro
vision repo.ing in "the congress the
power ito lay and collect taxes, duees'
imposts and excises."