Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-09-02
Great Britain Expected To Be
First of All Allies to Give
Formal Assent, Finds En-
banaSSing Barrier.
DOMINI0NS MUST BE
TREATED C0URTEOUSLY
Canada, Australia, South Af-
rica, New Zealand and In
dia Must Also Take Formal
Action With London.
BY ". Walter.
Especial Correspondent of the Albu-
querque Journal)

querque Journal.)
London Sept. british plans for
the ratification of the peace treaty
have hit a snag, in fact several snags.
1t was thought that Great Britain
would be the first of the three powers
to ratify and so make effective the
peace treaty; that was the general be-
lief when the house of commons gave
its official approval. Now it seems
that British ratification may be de-
layed some time by a curious discov-
cry in the working of the British un-
written constitution, and that France,
Italy and Japan will more likely be
the three ratifying powers.
The constitutional dilemma arose
in this way. At the peace conference
the British representatives were not
only those on the commission sent
over from Westminster, but included
representatives from the dominions.
When 1t came to signing the treaty
there was no question as to whether
Great Britain's signature could be
taken as alone binding the whole en-
pire. 1t would have been constitution
ally binding; the dominions have
never claimed any right OF .constitu-
tonal decisions or responsibility, in
foreign policy.
Courtesy Embarrassing.
The calling If do' ~ 'y.l. esenta-
tives to the neaea sc.aferenee was an,
act of courtesy on the part of the
british government and not constitu-
tionally necessary. But, once they
had been called. had taken part in the
deliberations, had claimed and been
allowed individual representation on
the league of nations, it was generally
felt that the dominions must also sign
the treaty But they could not sign as
sovereign powers; yet all the sigma
lures were the signatures of sovereign
powers. then as what could they sign?
SO far as the above powers were con-
cerned Great Britain's signature was
all that was necessary.
The dilemma into which the British
government was running does not
seem to have been realized at the
time. If you look at any copy of the
peace treaty you will see how simply
the dilemma was evaded and an enor-
mously important change in British
constitutional history was registered;
you will see that in the list of sigma
tory powers the names of the British
dominions follow that of the mother
country, but indented. That was the
simple clerical eXpedient that helped
the British government out of the i'm
mediate dilemma and landed it in
the present one.
Must Respect DOminions.
For the dominions having signed
the peace treaty, it would hardly be |
courteous and no longer quite constitu- |
tional for Great Britain to go ahead
nv if1y nti N ntc
ratified it, If Great Britain couldn't |
sign for all, she couldn't ratify for
all. So there can be no final British |
ratification of the treaty until the |
dominions have acted.
/ have made inquiries and am told |
on good authority that British states
men only quite recently realized the
situation into which they had been led
by that simple indentation of the
dominions on the peace instrument
And this is quite consistens with the
British practice of building a consti-
tuition with precent upon precedent
One can see how the first breakup
of the British empire will come; some
day somebody will draw up league
of nations instrument, say with the
names of dominions not indented, and
after the document has been signed,
sealed and delivered, some observant
British statesman will look at it and
remark: II see the old empires gone.
Hadn't we better abolish the colonial
office or something" And one or two
people will lose their nice home jobs
and things will go on much as before,
the empire already being as nearly
decentralized as anything cohesive
could be.
But meanwhile the working of the
peace treaty is being seriously delayed
for want of ratification.