The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-12-29

will explicitly pledge the honor and
good faith of the American nation,
to arbitrate precisely such questions
as that which at this very moment
we announce that we will not endeayor
to arbitrate in the case of Russia.
Under these circumstances to ratify
the general arbitration treaties would
put the American people in an atti-I
tIde of peculiarly contemplate hypoc-
risy, and would expose us to the deris-
ion of all thinking mankind: for we
would put ourselves in the position
OF making sweeping and fnsincere
promises, impossible of performance,
at the very time, when by our own
actions. we showed that We would GER
tainly not keep such promises, nor
translate them into action. believe
that we can normally arbitrate the
question of the Interpretation of a
treaty, even if only as the preliminary
denouncing such treaty. But | do
not believe that we can arbitrate, with
the intention of abiding by the arbi-
tration, such question as treating all
our citizens alike, without regard to
their creed, in the matter of pass
ports. or such questions as the Mon
roe doctrine. the admission of Asiatic
immigrants or the refusal of states to
pay bonds, or many other similar mat
tiers. In short, | do not believe that
We can afford to arbitrate questions
OF vital interest and national honor. or
questions of settled American gov
ernmental policy. Moreover the atti
! tude we are now taking as regards the
! abrogation of the Russian treaty
shows beyond possibility of doubt that
! if we are so foolish or so timid as to
agree, as an abstract matter, by gen.
eral arbitration treaties to arbitrate
such matters, we should instantly
/ repudiate the agreement whenever a
concrete case arose in which any con-
| siderable number of our citizens took
an active interest. Under such cir
cumstances to proceed with the rati-
/ fication of the general arbitration
treaties unamended would be not mere
ly farce, but farce played at the
| expense of our reputation for ma
tional good faith and sincerity.
believe most earnestly in peace
and in taking any step for arbitration
/ which will genuinely tell in favor OF
\ peace. and l oppose these treaties
| because, if unamended. they would
4 tell against peace and put us as ma
ton in an attitude of unctious and
odious hypocrisy. Both the Lodge
and Root amendments should be
adopted. 1t cannot be too often re
peated that these general arbitration
treaties are nothing whatever bu
general promises. These treaties arr
drawn in such sweeping terms espec
tally in the use of the word "justif
liable that they might, in any concret,
: case, be held to mean anything OF
nothing; and to encourage the kind 0
double dealing and bad faith that il
now being shown believe that W,
were right in abrogating the Russian
treaty, just because | also believe tina
the general arbitration treaties are no
worth the paper they are written or
1t is arrant hypocrisy for this natiol
to support the unamended arbitration
treaties at the same time that W
abrogate the Russian treaty, and t
do SO is TO put this nation in thol
u oughly false and discreditabIe att
, tude- Hypocrisy is as revolving in
! nation as in man; and, in the lon
run, do not believe that it pay
I either man or nation.
r