Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1908-12-12

Washington, d. C.-The Democrats
in the senate are determined to hold
the President to account for having, as
they construe it, usurped his power
In concluding what Is practically a
treaty with Japan without asking the
sanction of the senate. The Demo-
rats regard the japanese agreement
as serving the same purposes as a
treaty, and treaty under the consti-
tuition must receive the sanction Of the
senate.
With a view OF bringing the matter
to an issue the senate, on the motion
of Senator Bacon of Georgia, ranking
member of the foreign relations COM
mittee, adopted a resolution asking the
President to send the notes OF the
agreement to the senate for its rati-
tication. This the President has de-
Clined to do, hut he sent the notes to
the senate for Its information" and
they have been referred to the foreign
relations committee.
Secretary Root has written to Sena-
tor CullOm, chairman of the commit
tee, asking to be allowed TO appear be-
fore the committee to explain the scope
Of the notes and the reason why the
agreement was made with Japan.
When Secretary Root appears before
the committee he will be subjected to a
severe examination by the Democratic
mnmbarS Of thp committee
But the Democrats will not be con
tent with merely examining Secretary
Root and will discuss the matter in the
senate. The Republicans will endeavor
TO have the debate conducted in secret
session, but the Democrats want the
largest amount of publicity and will
stand out for an open debate.
The position of the two parties is
paradoxical enough to have appealed to
the fantastic brain of a Gilbert. The
Republicans assert that the diplomatic
notes are not a treaty, but as the de
bate is in regard to "A treaty, and I'M
der the rules of the senate all treaties
are discussed in secret session, then
this debate must also be held with
closed doors. The Democrats, on the
other hand contend that The notes
are q treaty, but as the Republicans
say that the notes are not treaty
then there is no reason why the de-
bate should follow the ordinary rules
Of treaty discussion and he held with
the public excluded from the galleries
which is rather amusing.
The senate has the power any time
to exclude the public and sit in Sc
| cret session, no matter what is under
consideration, and if the Republicans
decide that il is better not to take the
public into their confidence they can
! Of course close the galleries and the
| Democrats will have to submit, but
in the case the Democrats can still
make a good deal of trouble for the
Republicans by discussing the subject
when an appropriation bill or any 9th
er legislative matter is before the SEN
ate, and Republicans will have TO be
| constantly on the watch to call the
| offending Democrats TO order
AT any rate Democratic senators say
| llSN iHNSHu thb' NhS iht'N'S' ''i"'' ~
| fully ventilated and the country shall
| know how the constitution has been
| disregaITled. The senate, they say,
under the constitution is part Of the
treaty making powers of the govern
| ment and II the senate submits to this
| new method Of making treaties by the
exchange OF notes and without the
sanction of the senate, then the con-
stitution has been broken down by
executive action and the senate has
been deprived of its proper functions.
What particularly angers certain
senators is the tone OF the European
press, which has referred to these
notes as a treaty and has congratulate
ed the President on having found a
way to be independent Of the senate
on the conduct of foreign relations. The
senate is jealous Of all it's prerogatives
! and does not like to have foreign gov
ernments think he President can ne
gotiate without regard to its action.
The question is regarded as an eX-
| tremely important one from conSti-
tutional point of view, and II the Dem
ocrats succeed in getting 1t before the
| senate It will undoubtedly provoke a
| debate that will become historical.