The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-08-15
SENATE AND ARBITRATION.

In considering yesterday morning al
amendment to the arbitration treaty
as agreed upon by the Senate Commit
tee on Foreign Relations, we assumed
that the Senate would follow the leac
of this committee, as it may be sait
invariably to do, especially when WI
consider that this committee appear.
TO be so near unanimous in favoring the
amendment indicated. That amend
mcnt would keep in the hands Of the
Senate not only the passing upon thi:
treaty, but the passing upon all points
of arbitration that may come up fol
action between this country and Great
| Britain, or between this country and
| France, under the general treaty. Thi:
| forms an additional reason why the
| Senate is likely to follow the lead OF
the Foreign Affairs Committee in this
matter, because the Senate is 80 very
prone to insist upon and magnify its
own prerogatives. For this reason we
consider the action of the Foreign Af
fairs Committee as practically. the
action of the Senate, as indeed we be
lieve it will turn out to be. There is
to be sure, the possibility that Presi-
dent Taft may, by personal effort, per
suado enough Senators to change and
reverse the action of the committee.
We believe. however. that in this case
such an idea is hopeless.
The treaty as drawn by Secretary
Knox was consistent, unified, COM
pact document: The idea that pre-
vailed throughout was, that this gen
eral, unreserved treaty would be rati-
fed by the Senate, and that from
thenceforth The handling of matters Of
dispute would be through the means
and by the agencies specified in this
treaty The Senate Committee, how
ever, in its action. appears determined
to hold in the hands of the Senate the
special dealing with any matter of
difference that may hereafter arise, an
act which throws the whole treaty
into disorder, and must be as surpris-
ing to the President as it is discou-
certing. As we pointed out yesterday.
however, we sec no reason why the
Senate should insist upon this any
more than. that il should insist upon re-
ceivlng and passing upon the briefs of
counsel In any case that may come on
for settlement. Having approved the
general lines upon which arbitration is
to proceed it seems to us that the SEN
ate Committee, and the Senate itself,
might reasonably agree that the details
should be left as provided in the treaty
as originally drawn up by Secretary
Knox. 1t is absolutely incomprc-
henslble Ito us why the Senate Commit
tee should wish TO mar the treaty in
this way, and to retain in the hands of
the Senate the determination of special
features to be arbitrated as they
come on hereafter, to have charge of
the details Of the negotiations, and to,
control the minutiae of the procedure.
That is further than the, Senate has
ever gone before; but it's COMMITTEES on
Foreign. Relations appears to think it
necessary for the dignity of the Sen.
ate to keep its hands, not only on the
general moving lever, but on all of the
small levers in matters of detail. We
were afraid from some remarks made
in the Senate by Mr.. Borah of Idaho
and others, that the Senate was getting
a wrong view Of its relation to this
treaty; and now it seems, from the &C,
tion Of the committee, that this wrong
view is likely to be established in the
Senate In that case Secretary Knox's
work will have been in vain, and Presi-
dent Taft will be humiliatcd before the
world.