The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-02-12
LOCKED HORNS
WITH THE SENATE
President Gets the Short End of the
Fight.
LETTER RAISED A RUCTI0M
AMENDMENT TO ARBITRATION
TREATIES.


IAI ASHINGTON.- Feb. 1.-THE SEN
wv ate. in executive session, rati-
fed the arbitration treaties be-
tween the United States and eight Eu-
rOpean governments. 1t required two
sessions to reach an agreement. At the
first session consideration was given
TO a communication from the president
To Senator CullOm, chairman of the
foreign affairs committee. in the form
of a protest against any amendment
being adopted; at the second session
the treaties were amended and rati-
fed with only nine votes against the
amendment made by the senate com
mittee on foreign relations.
Has Been Hanging Fire.
The situation in the senate over the
arbitration treaties has been strained
for several weeks. The first protests
against the treaties were made by SEN
ators from southern states, who sug-
gested an amendment which precluded
the possibility of che arbitration of
claims against their states by reason
of repudiated bonds. Later it was sug-
Eested that an amendment should be
adopted which changed but one word
that of agreement" to treaty" in ar
ticle >, making the article read as fol-
lows:
How Article Reads.
In each individual case the high
contracting parties before appealing to
the permanent court of arbitration,
shall conclude a special treaty defining
clearly the matter in dispute, the scope
of the powers of the arbitratOrs and
the periods to be fixed for the forma-
ton of the arbitration tribunal and the
several stages of the procedure"
ha r.
pose of the protests made by the south
ern senators and in addition to that
established the principle that any
matter in the nature of q treaty with
u foreign government must be con-
summated by the president, with the
consent of the senate" In this form
the committee reported the treaties to
the senate
Talk at First Session.
The treaties were considered but no
action taken beyond arriving at an
agreement that they would be again
taken up today. The first session Of
the senate today was confined almost
entirely to a defense. by half dozen
senators, of the Senate's right to amend
treaties. The president was criticised
sharply because of his letter declaring
II to be step backward to ratify the
treaties in the form proposed by. the
senate committee on foreign relations
Argued Against Haste.
No defense of the presidents position
was taken until the second executive
session when Senators DOiliver- Fair
hanks. Platt of Connecticut and Hop
lSins argued against the need Of haste.
They took the position that there are
no questions jnClUded in the treaty
which could not properly be submit
ted by executive agreement TO arbi-
Tl.,11T lssaTh hl 2
there were some matters of business
that were pressing in the senate but
that the treaties did not enter into the
list. and that if they We're amended in
the form proposed the country would
have no further interest in them.
A Necessary Arrangement.
1t was argued by these senators that
am amendment ought TO be directed, If
amendment were necessary at all, TO a
Better definition of the class Of Ques-
tions TO be left to arbitration, rather
than by an amendment which put the
government of the United States in the
attitude of agreeing with foreign ma
tions in advance that in certain cases
3 would make treaties of arbitration
It was said the obligation to do that
was already upon US by The Hague
convention and the oft-Tepeated state
lnent that IL is the national policy to
ties. il was argued, offered TO this gov
eminent the best chance it was likely
10 have in this generation to do its
share toward the abolition Of the bar
barisms of war
Motion TO Adjourn Defeated.
After the speeches by Senators Plat
of Connecticut. DOlliver and Fairbanks
q motion to adjourn was made on the
ground that there was need for hasty
action on the treaties Those who IA
Nored the amendment opposed this mo-
ton and on a roll call it was defeated
4 motion was then made to adopt the
conmittee's amendment. The vote was
taken OH the treaty between the United
states and France as the other trea-
ties are on identical lines. A roll was
called and the amendment was adopted
bv a vote of 30 to Q. Following is the
vote:
Vote on Amendment.
Yeas-Alee. Allison. Ankeny. Bacon
Bailey, Bard, Bate, Berry, Blackburn
Durham, Burrows, Carmack, Clark oil
wyoming, Clay. Culberson, Cullom
Daniel Dick, Dillingham;, Dryden, For
aker, Foster Of Louisiana Foster OF
Washington, Fulton, Gallinger, Gam
ole. German. Hale, Hansbrough. Hey
burn. Kean, kittredge, I4atimer. Lodge
Long, McComas, McCreary. McLaurin
Money, Morgan. Newlands, Overman
Patterson, Perkins, Scott, SmoOt, SpOo-
ner Stone Taliaferro, Teller-5O.
Nays-DolIiver, Fairbanks, Hopkins
McCumber, Nelson, Platt OF Connect
cut. Stewart, Warren, Wetmore-9.
When this amendment was adopted
il was agreed to as far as the other
Ii eaties were concerned, and the trea-
lies we're ratified by Il viva voce vote
The senate then, at 6.21 D. m, adj
5ourned.
STOOD UPON THEIR DIGNITY.