The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-27
Meets Senate Foreign Rela-
tiOns Committee in the
White House
VARIOUS IMPORTANT
PHASES CONSIDERED
Arbitration Treaties, Panama Canal
Tolls and Other Matters Touched
Upon-No Critical Situation
Causes the Conference

Washington. January 96.--President VIII
night with the Senate committee on for
eign relations. The entire committee. re-
publicans and democrats with the exeep-
ton of senator Clark. who is in Arkansas.
gathered In the green room and discussed
foreign affairs of the nation.
For the first time during his admins
tration the President broaehed the subject
of the Panama canal tolls. The unrati-
fed arbitration treaties and the proposed
Bryan peace treaties, as well the Mex
lean situation, and Japanese alien land
controversitN, were among the subjects
discussed 1t was the first conference o.
its kind covering so bread field, that
Mt Wilson has held, his previous meet
ing with the foreign relations COMMITTEES
being devoted chiefly to Mexican affairs.
No Critical Situation
No critical situation in any of the In
temauonal problems, according to the
President, caused the meeting to be held.
The engagement was made more than u
week ago. in line with the Presidents plain
to take up Systematically various import
ant phases of international questions.
When the conference was over all the
Senators agreed to maintain secrecy Ieav-
ing to the President 10 discuss what had
taken place.
The President explained to the waiting
correspondents whom he received In the
court of the White House entrance. that
he earnestly had urged the ratification of
the general arbitra tion treaties proposed
Tor renewal l6 in number. He said the
language of none Of the treaties would
be changed and expressed confidence that
they would be ratified.
The President also outlined to the COM
mittee his attitude on the Panama canal
tolls question. Asked what Ii was, he aai1
he thought 1t was generally understood.
but declilfed to discuss his views at this
time The fact that. when the treaty
with Great Britain was last considered by
the Senate. an exception was taken to 1t
on the ground that II might force the
arbitration of the free tolls for American
ccC ~ t.se vessels. led to the belief tonight
ths De President FIRST desired to see the
general arbitration treaty with Great Rri-
tain ratified and that the hope. that
through the passage of the Adamson reso-
luton. now pending In the House. the
operations of the free tolls provision
would be suspended for two years while
diplomatic correspondence on the subject
was continued. The President has never
publicly outlined his idea on the tolls
question, though II has bfen varlousy re-
ported at times
Asked Many Questions
The senator's had asked him many
questions, the President replied, and he
said he had answered as many of them
as possible, but unfortunately could not
give them all the details. owing to the
unavoidable absence of Secretary Bryan
All foreign questions pending were dis
cussed and the President said the senator's
asked him "A great deal about Mexico
Beyond giving them as much information
about the condition Of affairs in Mexico
as he had, the President said no discus
sion of policy occurred.
No mention was made of the possibility
of negotiating new treaty with Russia.
The Senate meets in executive session to-
morrow, presumably to confirm the NOM
nation of Henry NJ, Pndell as ambas-
sador to that country.
The President described to the senator's
the status of the Japanese controversy,
as we'll as the negotiations with Colombia.
Concerning the latter, he said the United
States still was in the process of exchang-
ing notes on the subject and that no defi-
mite agreement as to an indemnity to be
paid Colombia for the partition of Panama
has been fixed upon.