Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-11-22
SENATORS IGNORED
ON PEACE STATES
Growing Belief President win
Not Select Any for
screen Table"
s~coNGREssMEN AROUSED

~cONGRESSMEN AROUSED
: While no official announcement has
%been made as to the personnel Of the
. peace commissioners to represent tho
United States at the coming confer
ence, several ~slates" have been pub
lished. none Of which contained the
name Of q single senator Of the
United States. This fact has led to
the belief that the President may ig-
more the Senate in making the ap-
pointments.
Such q course by the President
would be regrettable, in the view OF
many members Of Congress- They
believe that the President will make
a mistake II he does not take into
consideration the fact that the Senate.
as well as himself. must have part
in the making of this treaty. under
,sethe Constitution of the United States.
The reason given by some who
have kept In touch with affairs at the
White House for the failure of the
"slates'' to carry the names OF sena
tors is that senators in the end must
pass upon the treaty, and, Therefore,
being in the position of judges, should
not take part in the negotiations OF
the treaty.
Such Reasoning Does Not Appeal.
Such reasoning does not appeal to
members of Congress as having any
real force. They contend that the Sem
ate should have. through its repre-
sentatives on the peace commission. a
hand in the drafting of the treaty, par
ticularly in order that these repre-
sentatives may be able to inform the
Sena,e clearly as to all the reasons
which brought about the various terms
Of the treaty.
At the close of the war with Spain,
In 1898, President Mckinley appoint
ed as the American peace commits
sioners, the Secretary of State, Will
liam r. Day: three senators. Davis of
Minnesota, chairman of the foreign re-
lations committee; Frye of Maine and
Gray of Delaware, and WhitelaW Reid.
one-time ambassador to Great Britain.
OF the senators appointed. two were
republicans and one a democrat. All
were members of the Senate foreign
relations committee.
What Precedent Would Dictate.
If President Wilson should follow
- this precedent he would appoint Sem
: Williams of Mississippi. democrats
and Senator Lodge of Massachusetts
or Senator Smith of Michigan as the
republican member of the peace COM
mission. But Senator hitchcock has
not been persona grata at the White
House on many occasions, it Is said,
owing to his opposition to some of
the administrations policies. and
Senator Lodge. because of his criti-
cisms Of the President. was stricken
of the White House dining list long
ago.
When the President conferred re-
Gently with a small group of senators
at the White House in regard to his
senators were members of the foreign
relations committee, Senators Swan
son of Virginia and Pomerene of
Ohio. No republicans were present.
: Republican Senate to Ratify.
!. When President Mckinley appointed
missioners after the war with Spain,
the Senate was republican, his own
party. In all probability the treaty
!. of peace with the Teutonic powers
will have to be ratified by a repub-
1lSou oSudlCs SiHCc TIE ISpuDlICdHS
will assume control of that body afte.'
March 3 next, and the probabilities
arc the treaty will not be presented
to the Senate for ratification until
after that date The Senate foreign
relations committee, which will han
die the treaty before it goes to the
{, Senate, also will be controlled by the
- republicans.
Spain. in July. 1895. initiated a peace
move through the French ambassa-
- L.
who had been looking, after the in
eerests of Spain in this country dur
ling the war, just as the Swiss min
lister has been acting for Germany
hero during the present war.
Completion Of Treaty.
On August IL, 1895. a protocol, or
preliminary peace agreement was
signed in Washington by Secretary of
State Day and NJ. Cambon. acting for
Spain. This protocol embodied the
main terms upon which the United
States would make peace. 1t provid-
ed for the cessation Of hostilities and
sioners to meet in Paris not later than
October 1.
IT rHace commissioners met in
Paris. and the treaty Of Paris was ne
Eptiated and signed there December
II vas ratified by the United
States Senate February 6. 1899. by a
Yo,e = 20 81. after an attempt to
amend the treaty had been defeated
50 70 %. The President also ratified
the treaty the same day. Ratifica-
tons were exchanged between the
two countries April II. 1899, and peace
was proclaimed by the President on
that day.
-
May Take Months to Adjust.
= n was matter of eight months,
therefore. after hostilities had ceased,
before peace was proclaimed between
the United States and Spain. In view
&af -@""s ""es.ions which
must be settled at the coming peace
"a - SiII~ - " AL. .iJ
along, or longer, before peace Is pro-
g. claimed between this country and
Germany and Austria That being
Sthe case. the powers granted the
President under war legislation to