The Irish standard., 1908-12-05
A COMPACT WITH JAPAN

WV WI vAFAN,
dispatch from WASHINGTON con-
nrms the report cabled from Toxic
some days previously that a compact or
agreement between the United sst,t,,
ana Japan has been entered into be-
tween Elihu Root, our Secretary NJ
state, and kogora Takahira, the jap.
anese Ambassador. ia the effect that
each government shall respect the 9th .
er's trade rights and possessions and
also guarantee the integrity of China
ne compact has not yet been an
nounced officially but may be in a
few days. and it is said that i. will,
not he submitted to the United states
senate for confirmation. When it was
reported sometime ago that negotia-
IONS were in progress official denials
pnrased in the most emphatic language,
were issued by President Roosevelt.
The Republican papers of the coun
try, with hardly an exception. accent
the terms Of the compact as IL thew
were all right. Probably they are, but
why keep the American people in the
dark ON such momentous matter: 1t
IS because the American people are op-
rosed to entanglins alliances &C any
Kind with foreign nations. And why
should not the matter be submitted for
confirmation or rejection to the United
states Senate? Because the President
disregards the Constitution OF his
country, which requires that "he shall
have power. by and with the advice
and consent Of the Senate, to make
treaties. provided two thirds OF the
Senators present concur" Is it posi-
Bile that the Senators of the United
States will permit themselves to be
ignored in this high handed manner
by president who retires from office
three months hence?
The agreement, according to the
Washington report. consists of 1--WE ar
ticles. the last of which pledges both
countries to communicate with each
other in deyising means to prevent any
disturbance of the present state of af-
fairs In China What, may be asked,
is the present state of affairs in China?
Is it satisfactory to China itself. and
to other world powers: Suppose Rus
STA. Germany and France were not sat-
iofied with the present state of affairs
in the Flowery Kingdom and formed a
triple alliance to make change, what
step would Japan and the United
States take to prevent them. backed as
Japan would be by Great Britairo
The Minneapolis Tribune, at this
writing, is the only Twin City news
paper that has discussed this Ameri-
can-Japanese treaty" which is called
compact or agreement in the dis
patches. Among other things it says
1T is an absolutely new thing FOR the
American government to pledge itself
in treaty to take steps that lead log
ically to war. Should this treaty be
signed and ratified. it will be the first
actual foreign alliance in American
history. Perhaps the time has come
for it, as a similar time might come for
an alliance with Great Britain 70: rro-
lection of our common interests in
America. But our form of government
makes no provision for such an alliance
BY treaty or otherwise. The constitu-
ton separates the treaty making and
war-making power, except as both are
united in the senate, which shares one
with the President, and the other with
the house of representatives. BY rati-
flying Il treaty with the fifth clause the
senate would abdicate it's constitutional
war-malling power with the house and
assert in substance a war power with
the president not conferred by the con.
stitution. This might be done in a
critical emergency,as many such things
were done in our civil war. But will
the senate think that the emergency
exists?"
The Senate Of the United States is
entitled to pass upon this treaty and
should insist upon exercising it's con-
stituticnal rights. The people should
protest against the arbitrary action Of
the President and make him under
stand that he must recognize the rights
Of the legislative branch Of the gov