Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-02-15
.RESENTS A WARNING
Senate Offended at the Presi.
dents Letter to culIom on
the Treaties.
DOES JUST WHAT HE OPPOSED
Proposed Treaties Made a "step Back.
ward, in His Stated Views.
Pointed Extracts from tho Letter.
Which Foretell the Death of
All the Conventions Ne.
gotiated.

Washington, Feb. 13.-The friction
between the president and the senate
over the arbitration treaties, although
there is no acrimony developed SO far,
Is the question of the hour here. The
presidents letter to Senator Cullom,
chairman of the senate foreign affairs
committee, was like a "red rag to a
bull" and made certain the action of
the senate (Which was almost certain
before in insisting upon modifying
these treaties. Colonel John w. Eos
ter, president of the National Arbitra-
ton Conference, says that so far as his
colleagues We're concerned the word
agreement" in the proposed treaties
meant the same MS treaty" and they
never contemplated the president MAX
ing these agreements" without the
advice and consent of the senate
He hoped the president would find a
way to reconcile the fferencebetween
himself and the senate,
Represents Stop Backward.
But the presidents letter to Cullom,
does not look that way, and when Gull
lon read it to the senate in executive
session it caused mild sensation.
The salient points of his letter follow
VI learn that the senate committee on
foreign relations has reported the arbi-
tration treaties to the senate, amend
ing them by substituting for the word
agreement in the second article the
word treaty The effect of the amend.
ment is to make it no longer possible,
as between the contracting parties to
submit any matter whatever to arbi.
tration without first obtaining spe.
cial treaty to cover the case. This will
represent not a step forward, but a
step backward" 81.
Will Drop the Whole Batch.
IF 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 cease to be such, and, in.
decd, in their amended form, they
would amount to a specific pronounce
nlent against the whole principle of a
general arbitration treaty. =
If, however, in the judgment of the
president, given amendment nullifies
n proposed treaty it seems to me thai
1t is no less clearly his duty to re-
frain from endeavoring to secure a
ratification by the other contracting
power or powers of the amended
treaty; and after much thought have
come to the conclusion that ought to
write and tell you that such is my
judgment in this case.'
Nothing Whatever Accomplished.
ut would not, in my Judgment, be
wise or expedient to try to secure the
assent of the other contracting powers
to the amended treaties, for even. 81
such assent We're secured we should
still remain precisely where we were
before, save where the situation may
be changed little for the worse
Personally it is not my opin
ion that this government lacks the
power to enter into general treaties
of arbitration, but If I am in error, and
If this government has no power
enter into such geneal treaties, then IL
seems to me that it is better not IL
attempt to make them rather than tc
make the attempt in such shape that
they shall accomplish literally nothing
whatever when made"