New-York tribune., 1905-02-12

IL
The letter referred to above as having been
written by the President to Senator cuiiom is as
follows:
The White House.
washington. Feb. 10. 1910.
NV Dear Senator Culiom: L learn thal .he
Senate Committee Oh Foreign Reianons has
reported the arbitration treaties TO the senate,
amending them by substituting for the WORD
agreement in the second article the WoLo
treaty" The effect OF the amendment Is 10
make il no longer possible, as between its con-
tracing parties to submit any matter what-
ever to arbitration without nrst oo'aliline ann
special treaty to cover the case. rms VIII rep
resent not a step forward. but a step back
ward II the word agreement were retained
1t would be possible Tor me i1aI 5ona
State to do as for instance. 1t has ALREADY aohe
under the Hague Treaty in the Pious fund ar
bitration case with Mexico. and submit 10 ar
bitration such subordinate matters as py treaty
the senate had decided could be left TO the tN-
ecutive TO submit under q jurisdiction nmlted
nv the general treaty of arbitration. IL the
word treaty be substituted. the result Is that
every such agreement must be submitted to the
Senate and these general arbitration treaties
would then to be such. and, indeed' IN
their amended form they amount TO specinc
announcement against the whole principle or
a general arbitration treaty.
The Senate has, Of course. the absolute rlgnt
10 reject or TO amend in any way il sees NJ
any treaty laid before IL. and il is clearly the
duty of the Senate TO take any step which, In
the exercise of its best judgment, it deems 10 be
for the interest of the nation. H. however, ia
the judgment Of the President, given amend
that il is no less clearly his duty 10 refraiii
from endeavoring to secure ratification by the
other contracting po"eF F,or OF ,,,,ch Thought
have come to the conclusion that ought 10
write and tell you that such is my judgment III
this case. :,
AS amended we would have treaty of arbi-
traton which in effect will do nothing put recite
that this government will, when oeenis ~
wise hereafter enter into treaties OF aroitra-
tion. Inasmuch we. OF course, now nave lho
power to enter into any treaties OF arbitrator,
and inasmuch as to pass those amended treaties
does not In the smallest degree facilitate settle
ments by arbitration. TO make them woulo III 10 10
way further the cause Of international peace. IL
would not. In my judgment be wise OF eApeui-
emf 10 try to secure the assent of the other con-
tracing powers to the amended treaues, 10.
even if such assent were secured we should stiil
remain precisely where We were before, save
where the situation may be changed nttie Iof
the worse There would not even be the sllght
benefit that might obtain from the more general
statement that We intend hereafter, when we
can come 10 agreement with foreign powers
as to what shall be submitted, TO enter Into
arbitration treaties. for we have aireaoy' WheH
we ratified the Hague Treaty with the various
signatory powers. solemnly declared such 10 De
our intention, and nothing is gained py TeileL-
ating our adherence to the principle While re-
fusing to provide any means OF making our IN
tention effective. In the amended form the
Treaties contain nothing except such expression
of barren intention, and, indeed, as compares
with what has already been provided Tor IN the
Hague arbitration treaty. they prooabiy repre-
sent not step forward, but snght step Ddck
ward as regards the question OF internatlonel
arbifrafion AS such / do not think that they
should receive the sanction Of this government.
Personally il is not my opinion that this gov
ernment lacks the power TO enter INTO general
treaties of arbitration, but If am in error, and
If this government has no power TO enter into
such general treaties, then it seems to me that
Il is better not TO attempt TO make them. rather
than to make the attempt in such shape that
they shall accomplish literally nothing What-
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
Hon s NJ Cullom, Chairman COMMITTEES on
Foreign Relations. United States Senate
II has been asserted at the State Department
that the text of the arbitration treaties was sub
,nitted to members of the Committee Foreign
Relations and that no Republican member sug-
gested any change in the wording. but Senators
who voted for the amendment to-day explain
that when they first read the language Of the
treaties they assumed that of course the special
agreements provided for would in each instance
he submitted TO the Senate for ratification and
that when it became evident that such was not
the construction placed on the language by the
Executive they appreciated the necessity of
amending it to the end that no doubt as to it's
meaning might exist.
The case Of the Pious Fund arbitration has
been cited as an instance where protocols were
concluded with a foreign government limiting
the scope OF an arbitration, but Senators reply
10 that only by saying that the amendment of
the existing treaties in way curtails the
stitutionai power of the Executive, and, If the
method of conducting the Pious Fund case was
constitutional then it would be equally so now
Relief was manifest among Senators this
evening the disposal OF this troublesome
case, and il was unanimously declared among
the Republican members Of the upper House
that no criticism would follow if the President,
unable to construe the Constitution as the Senate
does. were 10 permit the treaties ratified to-day
20 fall.