Evening star., 1921-03-20
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

kN son COlneQ the pHTdSe
'open covenants openly
arrived at" discussing
the manner in which treaties and
conventions with foreign nations
should be made, he was laying up
trouble-difficulties more properly
speaking-for the Harding admins
tration. as we'll as for his own. This
does not mean that covenants with
foreign nations should not be Openly
arrived at" In fact, it is very de-
sirable that they should. But it does
mean that it is more difficult to bring
about the ratification of these COW
enants by the United States Senate.
for instance.
The Senate took leaf out Of Mr..
Wilson's book and discussed the Yer
sailles treaty in the open. The treaty
failed. 1t might have failed il there
had been no open debate. But the
chances are far more likely that it
would have been ratified If the con-
sideration had been behind closed
doors. with the publicity to the dis
cussion limited on that account.
The Colombian Treaty.
The Senate also provided for the
consideration of the Colombian treaty
with this country in the open, by
special order during the last Con-
gress. And now this particular treaty
has bobbed up with the promise of
the first serious difficulty between
- int ha
ate. President Harding sent a mes
sage to the Senate recently urging
ratification of the pact. and a group
of republican senators has organized
to prevent ratification if they can.
The success or failure of this ef-
fort to defeat the Colombian treaty.
the opponents say, largely depends
upon whether the treaty is considered
in open executive session. If the
treaty is considered behind closed
doors, with the debate more or less
of a sealed book. there will be great
er opportunity of its being ratified.
they say. On the other hand, with
the debate entirely in the open, and
the possibility of influencing public
opinion in their hands. the senators
opposing the pact declare it can be
defeated.
Arguments Presented.
Without going deeply into the con-
troversy over the Colombian treaty,
it may be said that the opponents of
the pact declare that to pay the CO.
Iom bians $25. 100000, as is proposed,
! to recompense them for their loss
of Panama and the Panama Canal
Zone. would be no more nor less than
to admit that the United States had
been responsible for the revolution
which finally brought about the sep
aration of Panama and Colombia.
The supporters of the treaty. on the
other hand, insist that it will make
for better relations between the
United States and Colombia. and for
a better feeling between this country
and all Latin America. Democratic
supporters of the treaty in the past
have not hesitated to charge that the
late Theodore Roosevelt, during his
administration, was entirely respon-
which Colombia finally found herself
deprived of Panama and the Canal
Zone.
This attack upon Col. Roosevelt op-
ponents of the treaty bitterly re-
sent. They desire to answer 1t in the
open Senate, they say. They do not
believe either that friendly relations
with Latin America can be purchased
through paying to Colombia $25,000,-
900 as a sop. Also they charge that
oil interests in this country which
have obtained oil concessions in Co
lombia are largely responsible for the
sudden interest which has developed
in the United States in the ratifica-
ton of this pact.
These, in brief. are the arguments
that will be made pro and con the
pending treaty. The opponents of the
treaty. are sincere in their belief that
they will be able to defeat the pact
if they can have the ear of the pub
lice in this country. Some of the men
who are opposing the Colombian
treaty are among those who fought
the Versailles treaty to a finish in
the Senate-Senator William E. Bo-
rah of Idaho, Senator Hiram John
son of California and others. They
have had experience in defeating.
treaties and they feel they can turn
the trick again.
Dimculty OF Open Ratification.
Which all gets back to the difficulty
of ratifying treaties with foreign ma
tions "in the open" OF course. one
igreat difficulty any administration
has to face is that a treaty sub
mitted by it must receive the support
of two-thirds of the senators voting
upon the resolution of ratification.
But that is a provision Of the Consti-
tuition and until that is amended
must stand.
But the difficulty over the Colombian
treaty is a minor matter to what may
be expected when the administration
undertakes to make a pact with the
allied nations or with the Germans.
1t Is true that the administration may
find it possible to sail safely through
the Scylla and Charybdis Of avoidance
of entangling foreign relations and
the desire in this country to bring
about an understanding that will pre-
vent future wars. But it is likely to
be difficult sailing. In the first
place, the democrats who supported
their party chief and the league of
nations may be expected to raise