The Washington times., 1913-05-01
THE NATIONS POWERS.

If the Government of the United States makes
a treaty with foreign power and then Californi'
passes law which in effect says that treaty is re
pealed so far as California is concerned, though
may be effective in other States what is the Unitel
States to do about it?
Suppose the United States made a treaty anG
then State after another cooly stepped forward
and by legislation excepted themselves from its oper
alton. What would the Government of this nation
look like before the world?
The latter illustration is not entirely ridiculous
We learn that if California passes and is permitted
to stand on her anti-aen land ownership legislation
the other coast States and some OF the mountain
States will fall in line and impose like conditions
upon alien ownership.
So it may as we'll be understood that the Cali
fornia situation is a great deal bigger than Cali.
fornia. 1t is really national. 1t need be no Sur.
prise, provided California gets away with its know
nothing program, to see half the land area of the
country covered by similar laws within few years
There are few subjects on which the politician is
more amenable to the arguments of the demagogue
than on this
President Wilson and Secretary Bryan under.
stand all these bearings and implications. 1t is high
time for the whole country to understand them. The
treaties which our Federal Government makes are
part of the law of the land of the entire land not
of some States The Constitution prescribes that and
the courts have sweepngly construed the fulles,
powers into the Federal hand.
Yet there are practical difficulties, under bifur-
Gated system of government, that become mighty diff
icut of handling Italian citizens were guaranteed
the protection of the law by our treaties with
Italy; yet when the Malta murders took place in
Louisiana there was found to be no effective ma
chnery for assuring that the treaty obligation would
be observed. The present is not the first time when
conflict between the national obligation under q
treaty and the States claim of sovereignty over its
own domestic affairs came to sharp clash.
Foreign nations may be patient with our crudities
and our shirtsleeved methods cheerful contempt
for diplomatic procedure, and in general. our ma
tiona disposition to that foreign affairs
not so important as the big league score, anyhow
but their patience cannot be expected always stand
the strain of realization that treaty with the United
States may or may not mean what it says If we
are going into the business of making treaties by the
nation and then repeating them by the State, it is
apparent that the States repeating treaties will most
" be those as to which the treaty most impor-
tant to the contracting nation.
To say that the nations will not indefinitely pre-
serve patience in such situation is not to suggest
that they are going to fight US. But good manners
is not inconsistent with courage. The behavior of
a gentleman does not indicate cowardice any more
than the attitude of the trucuent bully is the sure
index of fighting quality. 1t is not necessary here
and now to begin counting battleships and men and
money and figuring on whether Japan could or could
not But it is necessary our self-respect as ma
ton. to our standing among the powers that we
make it very clear that engagements entered into
behalf of the United States are binding upon all
Of the United States and will be enforced against all
Of them.
AS to this notion that the whole is greater than
any of its parts, Andrew Jackson provided very
good and not unfamiliar precedent for Democrats,
and Abraham Lincoln did as much for Republicans.