The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-10-02
DEFINES TREATY
MAKING POWER
Ambassador J. W\Davis
Ably Treats Of
Subject. A
SENATE LAST RESORT
Washington First Discoveted
President Could Not Dic-
tate to Upper House.
Ry EDWARD s. VAN 2tlE


John W Davis United Siatcs dn-
bnssndor to Great Brian, reccnNY
delivered, before the OKfOr1 lul-
vcTsty British American ,luh, u
scholarly and culigh'cuiug address
entitled, "Thc Treaty making F"W'I
in tho United States IN" lyN'
from which Ambassador Dawn d'
volnpod his contention. fntil'd ny
many illuminating historical r'I'r-
cnccs, that the checks ana bhIau' ,'
by which the treaty making mciho'H
81 our Government ls surrounded arc
virtues rather than defects ho lol,'7
from Article III, section 2, ot tho
American conHtituuon, Which runs
ua follows
"TIc - tho president - shall have
power. by and with IN" advice ana
consent Of the senate, to mako u'h-
ties. provided tWo-thirdE OF ia" son
alta consent
dent to th, present moment lhe
authority shared ley tho eNocuiN'
and the sonnto In connection win
the treaty making function Of our
government has bccn, ~ Mr. l)aFh
shows. productive 80 friction bN-
tween tho white house ana the sen
ate chamber. one hundred ana
twenty eight years ago Washington,
wishing to confer with the Aen0i" re-
garding q treaty then la process "t
negotiation with tho southern In
dinng, underwent SO unplcasant an
experience upon tho floor ot tho
senate chnmhor that he turned his
back upon his iuduiaitors and never
visited the chamber again tn"
precedent Of presidential nlootnesa
from tho Hcunto then set by wash
ington remained unbrokcn unilI
president Wilson appeared before tho
senate on January 28, 1871 to plead
FOR tho formation OF "A league or ma
tions.
Ambassador Davis IN his histon-
chi retrospcct makes II plain that
tho so-callcd equatorial oblignrchy''
in the present sennte, made up, IN
about equal number, OF both ropuh-
lIcnns and democrats, has browcn no
new ground but has merely fol-
lowed long established preccdcnts In
asserting the right of tho senate 70
amend "A treaty submitted To its
consideration by the president.
large number OF our presidents nave
found themselves at odda, at one
time or another, with tho senate
regarding the details OF submitting
treaties. but only one OF them has
ever accused tho senate ot using
its right Of "advico and consent
In connection with our foreign agree
ments In a perniCiOusly pygmy-
minded manner.
Says Ambassador Davis:
Free and unfetterod as " the
president at every stage or tho
negotiations, the senate is no less
so when the result of his efforts IN
laid before IL. II then becomes not
only tho right but tho duty OF all
senators TO give expression to their
impartial and independent Judg-
ment: save for moral suasion tho
president In as powerless 20 influ- |
ence their conduct rs were they 10 |
dictate his own"
Enlurging upon this timely phase !
OF his subject tho ambassador goes
on.
Tho right to amend. or to APP |
prove upon condition that amend /
monts should be made, was cxer-
oised from the outset ,ono :
author has computed that seventy .
viatiun b-iwr-u the birth uf tho
Union and tho year 1906, and tho
number has been added To since that
day :, RESERVATIONS and interpre- I
tative resolutions are likewise by no
means infrequent Thus, in ad- /
visine and conscnting to tho ratifi-
cation OF the general act OF tho Al
geciras conference, the senate took
occasion to assert that In so doing II
had no intention to depart from tho
traditional policy OF America 20 have
nothing To do with the settlement OF