Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1912-11-15
Old Trade Agreement Revoked
By Action of Congress Be-
cause of Anti-JeWiSh Sent
nent to Be Replaced,
AMERICAN POSITION
CANNOT BE CHANGED
Department of State and
Cars Ambassador Give No
indication of How Close They
are to Understanding,

are to Understanding,
IBy Morning Journal special Leased Wire i
Washington. Nov. l4.-An agree
ment between the United States ant
Russia to take the place of the com
mercial treaty of 1892, the abrOgatior
of which becomes effective lamar!
1st next. has been virtually reached
( according TO information from high
official authority Nothing as to the
exact nature of the agreement is an-
nounced. 1t was declared proba Bile,
however, that it would be worked out
satisfactorily to both countries before
the day when the old treaty wopid
expire.
This advanced stage in the negotia-
tions has been reached only after &
number of conversations between
Secretary Knox and Russian Ambas-
sador Bakhmetieff, beginning last
summer and continued at frequent in
tervals, the last occurring today.
This course was adopted rather
than the usual method of extending
formal notes, as better calculated to
secure speedy disclosure of the eN-
listing conditions in the United states
and Russia likely to affect the two
governments in their efforts to pre-
vent a complete rupture of their vast
commercial relations. only in gem
eral way can it be said that an under
standing exists that such breach
will not take place. for the details of
the agreement are yet to be worked
out
Even with the best of Intentions on
the part OF the negotiators, because
Of the difficulty Of rapid communica-
ton between Washington and st. pet
ersburg save by the unsatisfactory ca
BILE method, il win consume little less
than the seven weeks that intervene
between the present date and Decenl-
Der 31st, when the old treaty expires,
to accomplish this mutually desired
result
Because of the extreme delicacy of
the subject and the possibility of the |
complete failure of the proposed |
agreement if there should be pubic
discussion and criticism, neither party |
to the negotiations is willing to throw /
any light on the details Of the ar I
in fact. it is even impos-
sble to secure an official admission
that the agreement is within sight.
From such side light as is obtain
able however, it appears that Russia
to modify its practice of re-
'using passports to American or other
non Russian Jews. The cars gov
'rnment has always held that such
Jews. even though they are American
'itizens, are not entitled to travel or
'eside in Russia becasuc the existing
reaty provides that any American
eekng to enter Russia shall submit
o the existing law there prevailing.
The state department has not ad
nitted the soundness Of this conten
ion, and when congress, for that rea-
on, ordered the denunciatiOn of the ,
reaty, the actual, though not the for
nal, ground being this alleged dis
against American citi
ems, the departments attitude neces-
arily became unalterable.
With such wide difference be-
ween the two countries. it seems an
lmost hopeless undertaking to pre- |
ent a complete severance of trade
elations between two friendly ma :
ons.
1t is said that In ~ probability +
,ussia will meet the issun refrain
lg from applying her m ~imum a
and practically exclusive) tarif' du :,
es to imports from America. III he n
rdinary course, after the lapse of tn o
visiting treaty December 3lst. these n
laximum rates automatically would il
pply to imports from a country with 81
hich Russia has no such trade trea- d
:. But it IS suggested that through
decree or an imperial order in coun- h
|, this may be postponed indefi- it
tely. C;
Such action on the part of the Rus Il
an government would relieve Pres-
snt Taft from the necessity of i'm n
)sing. in retaliation, the maximum ft
merican duties on imports from h
ussia and thus trade between the @
20 countries might continue pending -
e issue Of future negotiations for ~
ornament treaty -