The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-12-17
fight ON RATIFICATION OF
! PEACE PACT BETWEEN ENG.
LAND AND UNITED STATES.
Strong Opposition to the Anglo Amer
lean Arbitration Treaty Arises
in New York.

CHICAGO. Dec. 17.-Walter Well
man in Washington special to the
Record Herald says:
Opposition. to the Anglo American
arbitration treaty has arisen, and II
comes from the Irish societies of New
York, Chicago and other cities The
treaty of arbitration between this
country and Great Britain was signed
by the representatives of the two
governments, Secretary Hay and Sir
Mortimer Durand. the British ambas-
saIor at the state department this
the senate along with ten or a dozen
other treaties of arbitration shortly
after congress reconveneS in January.
The Irish American leaders have.
adopted peculiar method Of fighting
the British treaty. To none of the
other treaties of arbitration do they
offer any objection, but they apparent
ly are determined the British treaty
shall not be ratified by the senate if
| they can prevent such action.
Appeals to Southerners.
They have for some time been send
ing appeals to southern senators to
vote against the proposed treaty with
Great Britain on the ground that if it
be ratified the English government
| will bark back to the days of the civil
war in the United States, and haul the
American government before The
Hague tribunal in an effort to collect
the value of the bonds issued by the
southern confederacy and sold to
British subjects.
A number of southern soldiers have
been much impressed by the argu-
! ments used by the Irish American
| leaders, and though, so far as can be
| learned. no senator from that section
| has as yet announced his opposition
| to the treaty, several southern sena
| tors have declared they intend to in
quire very carefully into the subject
!! before they give the convention their
adherence. One of the senators in
question says he doubts the wisdom
| Of the treaty and wonders if we were
| not going too far" in concluding
| general treaty of arbitration with
| Great Britain
| he southern senators is not the only
effort the Irish American societies
ire making to stir up sentiment an
| tagonistic to the British treaty. They
are sending out letters to senators
from all parts of the country opposing
| the treaty on one ground or another.
Republican senators are reminded
| that the adoption of peace compact
| with Great Britain would be a p0liti
cal blunder, inasmuch as it would Of
fend hundreds of thousands of Irish
Americans who are just now showing
a tendency to join the republican par
| ty. Senator Cullom, chairman of the
| foreign relations committee, and 9TH
err senators interested in the success
Of all the arbitration treaties, includ-
| ing the convention with Great Brit
ain, do not believe this agitation will
prove strong enough to place the Brit
! ish pact in danger, but there is no
.elling what may happen.
Without criticising the Irish-Amer-
| leans, and conceding the right of those
people and of all people to oppose a
treaty or any other measure which
! they do net happen to like, the friends
of the proposed arbitration compacts
scout the idea that there is a single
rational argument upon which to base
any of this opposition.