Arizona republican., 1905-02-14
rHOEN1x. ARIZONA. FEB. IA, 1905
The Failure OF the Arbitration re tiles


Secretary Hay made the announce
ment yesterday that the administration
viii abandon the arbitration treaties
which were amended by the senate in
executive session last Saturday. The
amendments were made after the SEN
ate had received a letter from the
president protesting against any
amendment. and the policy announced
by the secretary of state yesterday
seems to be the only logical course for
Mr.. Roosevelt to pursue.
The world Will regret to learn. how
ever, that the vast scheme for inter-
national peace initiated by Secretary
Hay has come to naught. For a year
the department of state has been care
fully negotiating. with the leading gov
ernments of the world for the compile
tion of these treaties. Nine had been
finished and laid before the senate
when Saturdays action was taken, and
the department has just completed ar
rangements for q similar compact
with Japan.
But one word was changed in the
treaties-the substitution of the word
treaty for agreement in the follow
ing paragraph. but thereby the. senate
secured all that it was contending for:
In each individual case the high
contracting parties, before appealing to
permanent court of arbitration. shall
conclude a special TREATY defining
clearly the matters in dispute, the
scope of the powers of the arbitrator,
and the periods TO be fixed for the ar
bitral tribunal and the several stages
of the procedure"
Had the word agreement" been left
in. it would have been in the power of
the administration to deal directly with
any foreign government involved, in
making the preliminary arrangements
for arbitration. and that without delay.
Under the treaties as amended each
special arrangement defining the pro-
gramme TO be pursued at The Hague
must be submitted to the senate for
its approval-and possible amendment.
This is because the constitution re-
quires all treaties to be submitted to
the senate. Mere agreements could
be made by the administration with
out consulting the senate.
One of the strong arguments in be-
half of the administrators position
seems to lie in the common sense of
the proposition. AS provided By the
constitution, the administration has
submitted the arbitration treaties
themselves to the senate. and it was
the duty as well as the privilege of the
senate to make any changes in the
phraseolOgy of the documents which
would strengthen the general policy
of arbitrating international differences.
And it was the right of the senate to
reject the treaties altogether, if in the
judgment of that body the course pro-
posed by the administration was not
wise.
But having sanctioned the policy Of
arbitration, why should the senate fear
to leave to the president and secretary
of state the details of adjusting each
controversy? The country will be in
clined to say that it is safe on all oc-
casions to trust the administration to
protect the rights and interests of the
Un.ed States. And by insisting upon
having a hand in settling the prelimi-
nar:es to each arbitration, the senate
has made the machinery too cumber-
some for practical uses
Suppose. for example, a controversy
with Russia should arise, similar to
that countrys difficulty with Great
Britain over the Dogger Bank affair
Suppose the trouble should arise when
congress was not in session. 1t is con-
ceivable that nothing but the means of
speedily arbitrating the differences
could avert the catastrophe of war
Although specifically authorized by the
senate under these treaties to seek a
settlement by arbitration, the admins
tration would find it's hands tied No
thing could be done until the president
had called the senate together in ex-
traordinary session. Precious time
might be fatally lost. Moreover, can
it be asserted that senators. suddenly
assembled from all parts of the union
and ignorant of the points in contro-
Versy except as they had been inform
ed by newspaper report, would be bet
ter equipped than the president and
secretary of state to specify the con
dftions under which the arbitration
should be had?
The truth is that the senators have
taken this position because they are
jealousy opposed to any diminution of
the. seIfate's prestige. They have led
themselves to believe that the import
ance of the executive. would be in
creased at the expense of the senate