Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-19
They Are Critically Ana1yzd the Committee ReaonsWhs
and How the Treaty Treaties viii Be .Studed-The Men
Who VIII Do the Work-pouper Of "Pefec;ng'
Treaty and Refusal to Rahty

Constitution. In respect to the au-
thority of the President. Shy and
Win the Advice and Consent Uhe
ana the sc" are capitalized in
the original documenD of the Senate,
to make Treaties Capital IT, pro
vided two-thirds of the senators pres
ent concur"
Senators have always felt, and
they so feel today, that they are not
perIunctorlly part of the treaty.
making organism of the government
but are Jointly with the President un-
DER the Constitution responsible to
the people and to history for such in
struments as may be negotiated be-
tween the United States and foreign
nations. Treaties. therefore. as has
been pointed out. are first given care
ful ana expert examination by the
committee on foreign relations. Po-
Htfcal party divisions, in most in
stances, are disregarded. A senator is
neither a democrat nor republican,
but first OF all and above all an
American.
Customarily. politics control the ac-
tons of the Senate and House COM
mittees. 1t Is VIGOROUSLY so with re-
spect to committees concerned with
domestic policies. The democrats,
when they are in control. write the
tarif bills. Republicans write such
Dilis II they are in the majority. The
party In power Is responsible to the
country for such legislation as may
De enacted and so in preparing the
way for the passage of measure the
majority members of the committees
exclude the minority members and
write such bills as will conform with
the platform of their party and as
will carry into effect promises made
to the people.
1t is not usually SO. however. with
the Senate committee on foreign re-
lations. The seventeen members sit
down at their long mahogany table
together The chairman belongs to
the majority party and the majority
party has ten of the seventeen MEM
bers of the committee 1t is posi-
BILE, then. for the ma iority to con-
troll the committee In all matters and
for the committee to be sustained by
the Senate, where final action is taken.
But as Henry Cabot Lodge, who
will be chairman of the committee
several weeks hence. recently told the
writer of this article, republicans have
voted against treaties negotiated by
Presidents of their own party and
commonly for treaties submitted to
the Senate by Presidents belonging to
the democratic party.
hC uuWiitbCh SouS VI CthiSo tHoe
governs the committee on foreign re-
1ations reduces. among able men. par
tisan temperatures and develops what
is known as the judicial temperament.
Parties fade from view at the from
tiers of the nation. Small men, OF
course. get places on the committee
and several ridiculous persons have in
times past risen. by the rule of Sc
niority, to the office of chairman, but
on the whole the membership is
worthy and capable and intensely pa
triotic as well.
change its political complexion. Sew
eral of the democrats who are now
members Of the committee on for
eign relations will give way to re-
pub1fcans. OF whom there will be ten,
instead of seven. as at present. Gill
bert M Hitchcock will cease to be
chairman. Mr.. Lodge. as has been
stated. will fill that high office.
Thirteen members Of the committee,
as now organized. seven democrats
and six republicans will be members
OF the new committee. These sena-
tors. and four more to be chosen by
the republicans, will examine, pre-
liininarily. such treaties as may be
agreed upon in France. If precedent
is followed, the treaties, being divided
into sections, will be considered by
subcommittees from the committee as
q whole.
8tenographic reports Of all the
speeches delivered at the conferences
OF the peace commissioners in YER
sailles and of all the open dialogues
between commissioners have been
promised to the Senate by President
Wilson.
Paragraphs. lines and words. COM
mas, semicolons and periods in the
treaty or treaties will be weighed
and scrutinized one by one. Nothing
will be Endorsed simply on the APP
pearance of it's face. no matter whose
names are on the documents. Lloyd
George, Clemenceau. Orlando and
Robert Lansing are among the ia
nous and trustworthy men of the
day, but their signatures cannot les
sen the responsibility of the sena-
tors themselves. whose advice and
consent were made mandatory by the
authors of the Constitution.
The thirteen members Of the pres
ent committee viii dominate the
committee that Is to be formed In
tft'i ti-Nf' - - 'T - -