New-York tribune., 1908-03-15
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
TREATY IN ABEY4NCE.
arbitration rith Great Britain To
Be Concluded First.
From The Tribune Bu-eau.1

washington March 1.-THE Secretary of
state and the British Ambassador have deter
mined TO hold in abeyance the treaty defining
the scope of the arbitration Of the Newfound-
land fisheries question until the general treaty
81 arbitration with Great Britain shall have been
ratified
This course il is explained, is prompted by
,,e belief that as merely "a submission of
-.--,s- under the general arbitration treaty,
or what is commonly called compromis, the
course of the Newfoundland convention in the
Senate will be facilitated, and by the rear
that until the general arbitration treaty is ap-
nroved the Secretary of State VIII have no
authority 10 employ such legal talent as is re-
ouired for framing the questions to be arnl-
trated Secretary Root and Ambassador Bryce
sre therefore bending every energy TO conclude
the general arbitration treaty, ana lhef "orh
is almost completed
Tho terms of the treaty will follow substan-
.iauv those of the arbitration treaty recently
negotiated with France. and ratified by the Sen
a-e providing for a special agreement defining
the scope of each arbitration. which, for the
United States shall be approved by the Presl-
cent with the advice and consent of the Sen
ate" The treaty will. however, contain such
provisions regarding the negotiation and COM
pletion of the compromis in Great Brltaih as
are indicated by Mr.. Bryce proposition to
.,,,,ac, IN arbitration without special agree
roents has been abandoned.
7, .ddi,;on to the general arbitration treaty
70 which Secretary Root and Ambassador Bryce
ara 6evotfng their special attention, there is
,e,aral claims treaty with Great Britain In
n,ocess of negotiation as well as the consider
.rle number of conventions which especially al
<ec- the Dominion of Canada Every effort is
being made TO press the latter. but the absence
H. l.rns of
asgn relations renders necessary amount Of
circurnlocution which is at least trying TO the
patieuce OF those charged with conducting the
.ro,is-sons More than a year ago Secretary
F2oot went 10 Canada with the hope of faclH-
-a-ine the settlement OF such differences affect-
ing Canadian affairs as exist between this coun-
try and Great Britain Recently the BRUSH
Ambassador made a trip TO Ottawa for the same
purpose but while both missions were pro-
ductive OF good. it is practically impossible TO
expedite matters
For instance every question which arises here
must be submitted the British Foreign Office
through Ambassador Bryce, by ii to the Colo
-ial Office by il to the Governor General Of
Canada by him TO the Canadian Premier, and
bv him TO the Canadian Cabinet, which des-
ienates one Of its members TO consider and re-
port on il. This done, q minute is adopted
and is then returned TO Ambassador Bryce by
the same route
Probably the most important of the so-called
Canadian treaties affects the withdrawal OF
water for power purposes from Niagara FaIis,
but others. which if not OF equally serious pur-
port are almost productive of difficulties, az
feet the St. Johns River, the Canadian boun-
dary which in some instances must be rede-
lineated. and the regulation of saloons and other
undesirable establishments the boundary
line the diversion of the waters Of the St
Marv's River from Canada to the Missouri
River II being the source OF one Of the federal
irrigation projects, etc. There are also as the
subject Of special conventions all the long list
Of minor matters cited recently in these dis
patches
II Is the hope OF the Secretary and the British
Ambassador that a number of these treaties
NAV be concluded and submitted to the Senate
a. this session Of Congress. although neither
diplomat is willing to make a definite prediction
regarding the Canadian conventions