Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1911-08-22
ARBITRATION sIDETRAcKED.

that the British and French arD1-
tration treaties might find plain
sailing in the senate is not to be re-
allied. The senate committee on
foreign relations has ordered fav-
orable report on the treaties-with
their most significant and import
ant feature eliminated. The modi-
fication was opposed by President
Taft, who also made plain his pref
erence that no report be made at
this time If ratification could not be
recommended The majority of the
committee evidently was not averse
to giving the president a black eye
that would be conspicuous interna-
tionally as well as nationally. So a
part of the administration program
that has attracted favorable atten-
ton the world over is to be side
tracked. There is slim possibility
that two-thirds majority can now
be mustered for the unamended
treaties, and as nobody is especially
interested in passing them as
amended it may be assumed that
there will be no further effort in
their interest until the regular ses-
sion. President Taft will hope that
in the meantime sentiment may de-
velop in support OF the treaties to
such an extent that further block
aiding may threaten unpleasant po-
litical effects during the 1912 CAM
paign.
It is not at all surprising that a
proposition carrying so much po-
tential prestige for the Taft admin
istration should come to grief in the
senate. A majority of that body is
hostile to the administration and
keen for putting Taft in the hole"
as has been demonstrated frequent
ly of late. Also the senate always
has been finical in the ratification
of treaties and eager to improve up
on executive accomplishments. Even
If there were no political motive
apparent at this time it would be
hard for the senate to resist the
temptation to take hand in the
actual making of the pacts. This 10
particularly true in view Of the fact
that the pending conventions do to
some extent, as claimed by the OPP
position, subordinate the preroga-
tive of the upper house in dealing
with international agreements. 1t
is not true, however, that the con-
stitutional power of the senate over
treaties is ignored in the pending
measures On the contrary, under
the original draft no arbitration
agreement could become effective
without the explicit ratification of
the senate.
The joint high commission clause
eliminated by the senate marks the
chief advance offered by the pro-
posed treaties over the arbitration
treaties now in force. In the exist
ing treaties the signatory nations
have the right summarily to refuse
to arbitrate any matter held to m
volve national honor" Under an
exception SO broad in scope gov
eminent might justify refusal to ar
bitrate any question which for more
sordid reasons it was disinclined to
take into court. The Taft treaties
do not attempt to force the arbi-
tration of questions involving ma
tional honor or even national pol
icy. The Taft plan comedies that
there are big questions that cannot
be arbitrated under any circumstan-
ces, and it leaves room honorably to
avoid obligation toward such arbi-
tration. The great net gain found
in the proposed treaties lies in the
fact that the process of Cancellation
cannot be dropped as soon as one
disputant claims the question in dis
pute is not arbitrable.
To begin with, the assumption Is
that all disputes, without excep-l
ton, may be settled amicably. If
one disputant draws away from ar
bitration, on the plea of national
honor or what not, it is provided
that the discussion shall not be
dropped until after the question
whether or not the dispute shall be
arbitrated has been referred to a
commission composed of three rep
resentatives of each nation. This
commission is to investigate both
sides of the case. II Ave OF the six
members agree that the question II
suitable for arbitration then both
sides are bound to arbitrate. II two
representatives OF the Directing
government hold out against arbi-
tration the commission is powerless,
and the dispute may run it's ordin-
airy course, terminating in war. II
Is wholly unbelievable that two OF