The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-01-12
Does Not Understand Opposition
 to Hays Documents
WRITES LETTER TO CULLOM
Says It Is InconcelvabIe That State Debts Could Be Recovered Under the Proposed Compacts
 With Foreign Powers.

Washington, January 11.-If the arbi- traitor treaties pending before the Uni ted States Senate are emaseulated, the President will withdraw them from con- sideration. President Roosevelt has let this be understood clearly. At the con- ference last Saturday between him and members of the Senate and House he in- formed the Senators that he desired the arbitration treaties to be ratified.
 In his opinion such action is of high est importance. He desired them to know he would not permit the pending treaties to be radically changed, as It had beer intimated they might be in the cour of their consideration by the Senate. He says frankly that rather than have the treaties affected in principle by their consideration in the Senate, he would ab- solutely withdraw them.
 The treaties now pending were nego- tiated by Secretary Hay with the repre- sentatives of the powers, and all of them were signed in Washington. The conventions entered into were with France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Portugal. Switzerland, Spain and Aus tria-Hungary. The President and Secre- IdTy Hay lell III neSOlidllllS LHC lASdtiSS that a long step toward universal arbi- tration and universal peace had been taken. Both have expressed surprise that an attitude inimieal to the conventions should have been assumed by some Sem ators. The President has expressed the hope that this attitude may not be maintained successfully as not only the people of America but the people of the world, as represented in the conventionsn are anxious that these negotiations look ing to peaceful settlement of questions which otherwise might cause war, should be concluded.
 Best Assurance of Peace.
 The President has impressed upon mem bers of congress, particularly of the Sem ate that he regards the arbitration treaties and formidable American navy as the best assurance of peace the Uni ted States possibly could have. He told several callers today, therefore, that he wanted the treaties ratified and the naval programme carried out without serious modification.
 The Senate committee on foreign rela- tions today continued consideration of the arbitration treaties Senator Bacon pro- posed an amendment providing that the interests of state shall not be arbi- trated but no action was taken The treaties are opposed in their present form
 
 to have their states involved by reason of bonds held abroad and which have been repudiated by the states. The treaties will be taken up again at the next meeting of the committed.
 President Writes to CulIom.
 In connection with the subject of these treaties, the President has addressed the following letter to Senator Cullom, chair man of the committee on foreign rela- tions:
 White House, Washington, January 10, 1905.
 My Dear Senator Cullom I notice in connection with the general arbitration treaties now before the Senate that suggestions have been made to the ef- feet that under 1t might be considered as matters of arbitration, claims against certain states of the union in reference to certain state debts. 1 write to say what of course you personally know, that under no conceivable circumstances could any such construction of the treaty be for a moment entertained by any President. The holders of state debts take them will full knowledge of the con- stitutional limitations upon their recovery through any action of the national gov- ernment, and must rely solely on state credit.
 Such a claim against a state could
 
 under no considerations be submitted by the general government as a matter of arbitration, any more than such a claim against a county or municipality could be thus submitted for arbitration. The objection to the proposed amendment on the subject Is a mere matter of surplu- sage and that 1t is very undesirable when the form of these treaties has al- ready been agreed to by the several pow CTS concerned, needlessly to add crtain definitions which affect our own internal policy, or deal with a matter of the re- lation of the federal government to the states which 1t is of course out of the question ever to submit to the arbitra- ton of any outside tribunal. and which it is certainly absurd and probably mis- chievous to treat as possible to be raised by the President or by any foreign power. No one would ever think of such mat ter as being one for arbitration. or for any diplomatic negotiation whatever Moreover. these treaties run only for a term of five years, until the end of that period they will certainly be interpreted in accordance with the view above ex- pressed. ''Very truly yours.
 THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
 Hon s. M. Cullom. United States Senate"