The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-12-16
THEY OBJECT TO ARBITRATION
TREATY WITH ENGLAND.
SENATORS ARE APPEALED TO
lrish-American Societies Trying to
Prevent Ratification of Recently
Signed Peace Pact.

Chicago, Dec. WdlCeI WoAAAnoh
in a Washington special to the Record
Herald says:
Opposition to the Anglo-American
arbitration treaty has arisen and II
m from the Irish societies OF New
York, Chicago and other cities. Inc
treaty of arbitration between this
country and Great Britain was signed
by the representatives of the tWo gov
ernments, Secretary Hay and Sir Nor
timer Durand, the British ambassador,
at the state department this morning.
1t will be ready to send to the senate
along with ten or a dozen other trea-
ties of arbitration shortly after con-
gress reconvenes in January.
The Irish-American leaders have
adopted a peculiar method OF fighting
the British treaty. To none OF the
other treaties of arbitration do they
offer any objection, but they appar-
entity are determined the British
treaty shall not be ratified by the
senat if they can prevent such &C.
ton.
Appeals to ~Southerners.
They have for some time been send
ing appeals to southern senator's to
vote against the proposed treaty with
Great Britain on the ground that II II
be ratified the English government
will bark back to the days of the civil
wal in the United States and hau the
American government before The
Hague tribunal in an effort to collect
the value of the bonds issued by the
southern c%Onfederacy and sold to Brit
ish subjects.
A number of southerners have been
much impressed by the arguments
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 have declared they in
tend to inquire very carefully into the
subject before they give the conven
ton their adherence. One OF the sen
ators in question says he doubts tn
wisdom of the treaty and wonder
we are not "going too far in conclud
ing a general treaty of arbitration
with Great Britain.
Other Efforts in North.
This attempt to arouse the fears o
the southern senators is not the onl.
effort the Irish-American societies ar
making to stir up sentiment antago
nistic to the British treaty. They ar
sending out letters to senators iron
all parts of the country opposing tn
treaty on one ground or another.
Republican senators are reminds
that the adoption of a peace compac
with Great Britain would be a polit.
cal blunder, inasmuch as it would OF
fend hundreds of thousands OF Irish
Americans who are just now shoWlnt
a tendency to join the republica:
party. Senator Cullom, chairman @
the foreign relations committee, an
other senators interested in the SUI
cess of all the arbitration treaties, II
GLIDING the convention with Grea
Britain, do not believe this agitatio
will prove strong enough to place tn
British pact in danger, but there Is n
telling what may happen.
Without criticising the 1rish-Amel
leans and %conceding the right of thos
people and of all people to oppose
treaty or any other measure whic
they do not happen to like, the friend
of the proposed arbitration compact
scout the idea that there is a singl
rational argument upon which to bias
any of this opposition.