The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-12-16

house expressed the hope that the
strecitals in the Sulzer resolution
would be stricken out before It passed
the senate. He said it was not within
/ the province of congress to declare
that Russia had violated the treaty
though it was proper to say 'in our
opinion from the United States stand
point, the treaty had been violated"
Speaker Champ Clark when inform
ed Of Russia's protest against the
Sulzer resolution said:
THE house has the right to pass
any resolution in any form 1t pleases.
Situation Is Serious.
News OF Russia's protest spread
through the city and caused a decided
sensation. Little else was talked of at
the capitol and there were mum merOuS
informal conferences among the ma
ticnaI legislators. The senate was not
in session.
The state department admitted that
the situation was serious. Some of the
officials there have cOntended from the
first that the abrogation of the treaty
of 1882 would leave the United States
without any sort of friendly intercourse
with Russia and therefore in q worse
nositiOn than now to enforce the ad-
mission of American citizens. All
thought of being able to negotiate a
new treaty with Russia, if the Sulzer
resolution should pass, apparently has
been dismissed.
s'It was a wise provision in the con-
stitution-put there by our fathers, =
said Mr.. Mann, which did not confide
to this house jurisdiction over foreign
affairs The wisdom of the fathers
was never more exemplified than on
this day, when gentlemen rise in their
seats with written speeches, from the
chairman of the committee down, de-
claring many things which if we had
the real power might quickly provoke
war.
IF we say we are determined that
American citizens shall go into Russia,
we can only enforce that demand by
eonquering at the end of a war. We
can assert our honor, we can protect
our integrity and our reputation as
liberty loving citizens proud of our
honor, by abrogating the treaty; but
that has no further effect in the world
in adding to the rights of our citizens.
II hope at least that this resolution
will be amended if the recitals are to
remain in it, by asserting our right
when we. choose to exclude foreigners
from our shores owing to race, and I
hope, gentlemen are willing to concedc
that we only declare that in our Opin-
ion, from our standpoint, Russia has VI
olated the treaty and therefore we alb
rogate it,
sThe resolution never should have
passed tne house in it's original form,
said Representative Mccall of Massa-
chusetts. Republican member of the
committee on foreign affairs There
was no excuse for the fiat statement
contained IN the resolution that Rus
sia had violated the treaty. The state
ment of that sort leaves little room
for argument or arbitration. No such
assertion was necessary in as much as
the United States has a perfect right
under the terms of the treaty itself to
abrogate it on one years notice to the
other party.
Senator Cu1lom, chairman of the
senate committee on foreign relations,
said he did not believe a protest by
Russia would have any effect on the
senate's probable action.
ssThat is he added, unless she
promised something. If Russia should
promise to obey the treaty, / think we
would let it stand"
Nothing short of that. however," he
was asked.
IT think not