Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1905-02-17
VIE FOR POWER.
Relations of Senate and President Are
Strained.


Strained.
Ry the overwhelming vote OF OF 70
the Senate Saturday evening ahenoeu
the arbitration treaties in the manner
protested against by President RooseVelt=
and then ratified all of them without
further call of the roll. The PRESIDENT
has declared that he will not submit the
amended treaties to the powers with
which they were negotiated, but Will per-
NIT them to die ON the ground that IN
stead of marking step forward IN inter-
national arbitration they really mark
slight step backward.
Only nine Republican Senators voled
against the Objectionable amendment,
while twenty seven voted for the chahge
which retains complete revisionary con-
troll of all possible arbitration agree
ments in the hands of the Senate. Inns
is the emphatic answer OF the Senate 10
what it looks upon as an attempt ny the
President to take possession OF the Treaty
making power of the government vested
nv the Constitution in the President ana
the Senate together.
The President insists that the substi-
tuition of the word treaty" for the word
agreement nullifies his efforts to es-
tablish the principle of arbitration and
that it is a step backward
Senators deny this In the first place,
a majority of them have no patience
with the arbitration treaties or With the
theory upon which they are based. Ihey
are brutally frank in their criticisms OF
a tendency which they declare is at yarl-
ance with the real aim of every CONNER
cial nation of the world. They cannot
understand why this government or any
other government which is annually eX-
pendng millions upon millions OF dollars
for new battleships, cruisers, torpedo
boats, submarines and improved equip
ments for battlefelds should even make
a pretense of desiring to establish inter
national arbitration. They say that II
the powers are sincere in their desire for
peaceful solution of international differ
ences the best evidence of good faith
would be gradual disarmament, both on
sea and land.
The defiant attitude of the Senate IS
not altogether the result of this disagree
ment with the President over the arbltra-
ton treaties, but can be traced back to
a long series of transactions extending
over a period of three and half years.
The impression had gone abroad that the
President had broken the power OF the
Senate, reduced it's members to state
of subsection and metaphorically held
them in the palm of his hand. Probably
every Senator, Democrat and Republi-
can, heard something about this for
year past. If he has not his acquaint-
ances have been more considerable OF his
feelings than people usually are to men
who they believe, have been properly
disciplined. The country has talked about
it, publicly and otherwise, and to some
extent has rejoiced over what it believed
to be the Presidents courage and au-
dacity.
The arbitration treaties therefore, con-
stitnted a pretext for the break be-
tween the Senate and the Presdent-a
break which was bound to come sooner
or later. How far it will proceed and
what the consequences will be only can
be conjectured. AS the matter stands
tonight it possesses grave and appar-
emily far-reaching aspects.