The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1912-01-05
ROOSEVELT WARNS
OF MANY PER|LS
Ex-President Approves the Rus
sian Treaty Abrogation.
CONGRESS DID WISE ACT
10 Not Pleased With Arbitration
Pscts and Says Their Passage
Unamended Would Be
Hypocritical.

New York-Theodore Roosevelt, in
an editorial in the Outlook, assails
the pending arbitration treaties The
former president approves the abroga-
ton of the Russian treaty, but de-
clares the matter should first have
been put up to The Hague tribunal
The editorial, which is entitled The
Russian Treaty, Arbitration and Hy-
pocrisy," in part follows
j cordially approve the action tax
en- by congress in abrOgating the Rus
and act on the situation as it actually
confronts them; and in the actual
event congressman had only two al
ternatives, namely, to abrogate the
treaty or to submit TO the continuance
OF conditions which have become IN.
tolerable to our national self-respect
and which represent continuing
wrong, especially to American cltl-
zens OF Jewish faith.
Il still believe that in so serious a
matter it would have been well first
to endeavor to secure decision by
the Hague court on the Interpretation
OF the existing treaty. | am confident
that such a decision would, of neces-
sity, have been in our favor; and, IL
so, it would have enabled Russia to
retire from an untenable position with
good grace and no loss OF self re-
spect-an object that should always
be held in view in dealing with any
foreign nation with which at any time
we have difficulties; while IL the de-
cision as to the Interpretation or the
clause in question had been adverse
to us We would then at once have alb
rogated the treaty and have been
clearly right in so doing.
This was the position held by that
noted diplomat, Oscar Straus. But no
movement had been made by either
nation looking towards any other
the one actually adopted. Congress
was confronted by the simple fact
that, unless the treaty was abrogated,
conditions would remain as they now
are; and, under the circumstances,
congress acted wisely and properly In
declaring for the abrogation.
But this action was taken while
the universal arbitration treaties are
pending in the senate. These trea-
ties are avowedly championed as be-
ing of the kind we are to enter into
with all nations, and as supplanting
the existing arbitration treaties which
we have with almost all nations, in
Guiding Russia as we'll as England ana
France These treaties, ii ratified by
the senate unamended, will explicitly
promise, 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
endeavor to arbitrate in the case OF
Russia. Under these circumstances
to ratify the general arbitration trea-
ties would put the American people
in an attitude Of peculiarly contempt
BILE hypocrisy and would rightly ex-
pose us to the derision of all thinking
mankind, for we should put ourselves
in the position of making sweeping
and insincere promises impossible OF
performance at the very time when by
our own actions we showed that we
would certainly not keep such prom
ises, nor translate them into action.