The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-10
FEAR AMENDMENT
 FOR ARBITRATION
Strong Objections to Some
 Provisions Appear
KNOX DEFENDS FACTS
Doubtful If Early Report By Senate Foreign Relations Committee Is Wise Course-Joipt High
 Commission Objected To

Washington, August s.-Friepds of the | British and French arbitration treaties in the Senate have reached the conclus- l ion that 1t will be necessary to amend
 the conventions in order to get favorable | action upon them. This conclusion Is the result of the consideration of the docu-
 ments by the Senate committee on for
 eign relations, which has taken them up
 in vigorous fashion.
 After two prolonged sittings the com-
 mittee adjourned late today to meet again
 Saturday. Both meetings were devoted
 to the consideration of the documents on | their merits, the first in company with Secretary Knox and the second by the
 members themselves without the secre- | tarys aid.
 | No effort was made to have the trea-
 ties reported and it became extremely
 doubtful to some of the friends of the admins tration whether such a course
 would be wise at the present time, owing to objections to some features of the agreement as they now appear Especially objection was made at | both sittings to the provision submit | ting questions of difference to the joint high commission of inqury, but fault also was found with the provision in the French treaty authorizing ratih- | cation by that government in accord ance with the procedure required by the laws of France and with the con- dition in the British treaty that mat ters affecting. dependencies of Great Britain shall be submitted to the gov ernments of such dependencies. It was thought the latter clause might lead to undesirable complications, while 1t was feared the former might necessitate change in the method of proceeding in this country.
 Despite all these objections it be- came evident. however. that the power conferred upon the joint commission is the only. real obstacle to early ac- tion Several senators expressed op- position to this provision and more than one suggestion was made that the par agraph should be eliminated or at least materially modified. No motion was made to this effect. but If there had been a vote it probably would have carried. The magnitude of the extent of this criticism will be brought to the Presidents attention and some sen ators will urge the cancellation of tho provision. s
 In the afternoon suggestion of the morning meeting that the whole ques- tior should be postponed until December took the shape of a motion to that ef- feet It was made by Senator Clarke of Arkansas but was withdrawn upon gen eral expression of opposition. In this connection the friends of the treaties re- ceved the greatest announcement that was given them during the day of fhA q X- pressed themselves as friendly to the gen. eral proposition involved in the treaties, and some went so far as to say that with a few changes 1t might be possible to get ia vorabe action during the present ses- son especially if it should be prolonged to any extent.
 Knox Makes Plea
 The treaties were earnestly defended to- day by Secretary of State Kc..x before the Senate foreign relations committee. He probably undertook to show that the agreements rob the Senate of nothing of it's constitutional privileges.
 Opposition to the treaties on the ground that the Monroe doctrine would virtually be abrogated. far as those two nations were concerned, was not taken seriously by President Taft or Secretary Knox
 MT. Knox made an especial plea for the ratification of the treaties because of the fact that under their terms arbi- tration is made to cover all questions which are justiciable in their nature. He said that in this respect the agree ment marked progress over the arbi- tration treaties of 1908.
 MT. Knox was questioned by many members, some with an evident view of strengthening the compact and others with just as palpable purpose Of attacking, it.
 The principal point of attack was the third paragraph of the third article, following the joint high commission of inquiry. to determine whether a given article was arbitrable. and the objection was made that the effect would be to deprive the Senate of it's duty of settling all such points.
 Replying MT. Knox said that in ratf- flying the general treaty authorizing such course, the Senate would be exercising Its function by wholesale. Meeting the contention, senators argued the right and duty of the Senate under the constitu- tion to pass separately upon all conven- tions With other countries. They did not believe the Senate had the right to dele gate this power The secretnry held firmly to the contention that there would be neither abrogation nor delegation.
 During the meeting Senator Clarke of Arkansas suggested the desirability of a postponement of action upon the treaties until next December but the proposition was vigorously opposed by Senator Root as unwise and in way discourteous to the other countries involved. Mr. Clarke said there would not be time for the proper consideration of the agreements at this session. and contended that under present conditions they could not receive