The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-01-15
senator Lodge, Colonel Roosevelt
and the Panama Canal.

One or the strangest editorial arti-
clcs It has been our misfortune to see
in any sensible newspaper during a
month of years appears In the New
York World. 1t Is entitled "LoDGE as
Treaty Wrecker," and Its substance
Is an attack upon the experienced and
honored senior Senator from Massa-
chusetts as the wilful and obstinate
INSTRUCTOR Of desirable measures In
the form Of treaty projects coming
before the Senate, as the Constitution
requires, for ratification or rejection
by that body.
Because Mr.. LODGE manlfestly In
tends to exercise his constitutional
function in the case Of "any treaty
based on President WILSON'S fourteen
points''--as II Is his duty to do and
as he Is sworn to do--he Is bisterly
denounced by the World as a chronic
marplot in International affairs. For
over twenty years In the Senate Com
mittee on Foreign Relations, says our
nelghbor, except on a few notable
occasions, he has made 1t his duty to
figure as wrecker Of treaties"
Again: HE has helped to make
waste paper of all but few OF the
treaties on which as a Senator II has
been his privilege to pass No one
has done more than he to earn for
the Senate the reputation Of being
the graveyard Of treaties"
Note the extraordinary phrase at
has been his privilege to pass upon" !;
as If the submission of proposed
treaty to the Senate by the Executive
negotiating 1t was nothing more than
courtesy reference, an established
custom of governmental etiquette by
which the Executive negotiator Of
treaty project vouchs fes to the Sen
ate a purely formal and conventional
opportunity to say ditto to an oil
powerful President! We are bound
to say that this view OF the advice
and consent Of the Senate accords
very we'll with much that the World
has written lately concerning Execu-
tive supremacy.
As a matter OF fac, a treaty
wrecker" signifies the same odious
thing as a treaty breaker; for un-
der our constitutional system OF
treaty making no treaty project is a
treaty until the Senate has given 1t
life by a two-thirds vote. What our
neighbor means, we suppose, Is to ex-
hibit Senator LODGE as an haoitual
wrecker Of treaty projects, good. bad
or Indifferent
But will It be believed that In order
to justify the opprobrious epithet
which 1t is attempting to fasten upon
this patriot and statesman the World
goes so far as to make the Senator's
course with regard to the Hay
Pauncefote canal treaty the principal
specification in support of Its general
charge? We copy this amazing para
graph from the editorial article in
question:
Tho purpose OF the Hay-Paunesfote
treaty, sent to the Senate in 1900 by
Presiden. MCKINLEY, was to clear the
way for the construction of An Isthmian
canal by the United States. II was
charged in the Senate that the treaty
was unfavorable 10 the interests OF the
United States, although Secretary HAY
OF 1t and Lord PAuSCErorz did not cross
a u or dot an T. In tho document The
British Government; rejected the treaty
as amended BY the Senate. In defence
OF the active part he played In defeat
ing the ratification of the Hay-Paunce-
fots treaty Senator LODGE advanced the
for ratification are not strictly treaties
but projects for treaties; they are still
inchoate.' A years time was lost for
1t was not until 1902 that the second
Hay-Pauncefote treaty was ( und 40
ceptable by tho Senate"
Observe here again the description
of the plea" advanced By Senator
LODGE in apologize and perhaps more
or less evas!ye excuse for reprehen-
sIble obstinacy In uselessly delaying
for years time the beginning of
work on the Isthmian canal. The
plea" attributed to the Senator, as
we have already remarked, was moth
ing more or less than an exact state
ment OF the status of every treaty
project before the Senate has exer-
cised Its privilege" OF determining
whether II shall become treaty or 20
TO the waste basket which yawns,
thank heaven. for foolish or made
quate or otherwise unsatisfa Glory pro-
posals Of international contract; and
the plea" Is inexpugnable as our
neighbor ought to know.
We had supposed that every news
paper with a memory going back be
yond the day before yesterday knew
the history Of the earlier negotiate
between Secretary HAY and Sir Ju-
LIAM PAuNCEFoTE-he afterward be-
came Lord PAUSCEFoTE-and under
stood the immense advantage which
the United States gained by the re-
fusal Of the Senate TO ratify the rom