Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-12-08
Bringing Russia to Time.

bringing Russia 10 Zinc.
President Taft still believes in the
possibility Of bringing Russia to a
recognition and observance Of the
treaty Of 1892 and. evidently from
his foreign affairs message to con-
gress. deprecates the advisability of
proceeding as yet to abrogate that
compact He says the State depart
ment is in negotiation with the Rus
sian foreign ministry to effect
clearer understanding and con-
struction Of the treaty" and the
modification of any existing Russian
regulations depriving our citizens of
their rights under the treaty" adj
ding:
! believe that the government OF Russia
Is addressing itself seriously to the need
Of changing the present practice under
the treaty. and that sufficient progress
has been made 20 Justify the continuance
Of these conferences in the hope that
there may soon be removed any iustifca-
tion OF the complaints OF treaty violations
INV HttNhlfllA III AuIH AuuulANs
The president is. of course, i'm
pressed with the spirit and purpose of
such demonstrations OF protest
against Russian intolerance and inf
deity as we're voiced in that Carnegie
hall mass meeting by representative
citizens of this country. and he can
not be insensible to the perfidy of
Russian diplomacy, so that this mes
sage at this time Is fraught with
weighty significance. Since the ne
gotlations with Russia are on It
seems that they should be allowed to
run their course in the hope OF pro-
ductive results. Yet in any new
transaction with Russia the United
States must be guided by its past ex-
perience with that nation. That ex-
perience has been. particularly I'm the
case of this treaty. all promise and
no performance by Russia. We have
little business continuing the treaty
in force without positive knowledge
that It is going to amount to some
thing. that Russia means to live up to
It's obligations and our rights under
the compact, thing 1t has utterly
and deflantly ignored for nearly half
century.
II seems to us that President
Schurman OF Cornell in that New
York mass meeting put the issue
rather patty in these few words:
II Is we. ourselves. and not Russia, that
stand before the forum OF the world on
a charge OF infidelity to our own princi-
pie and contempt 20 our own citizenship
II there is no other way OF indicating
our honor, then / say let the treaty be
abrogated.
That is unanswerable. Doubtless.
however. that is exactly what Presi-
dent Taft has In mind in wishing to
,consummate this final effort at en-
forcing treaty obligations. The cues
ton has been raised, Suppose the
treaty is abrogated. then what? Well,
we at least nave our national honor
left and are in better position to
look all our own citizensl and the
world in the face. knowing that, II
we cannot compel Russia to observe
Its sworn duty with respect to Amer
lean citizens under a treaty. we can,
at least, prove that We are no longer,
under the terms of a solemn compact,
party to such pertidy. Abrogatine
the treaty, even with it's implication
OF denying similar rights to Russian
subjects over here. may not give us
all we want, but It will give us our
self-respect aud our honor and set .
very stern object lesson TO Russia.