The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-04-22


Of Republicans and Democrats Can
Ratify Amy Treaty
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Despatch to The Reformer.)
Copyright 1921.
WASHINGTON, April 22.-What
finally put the Colombian treaty through
the senate after II years of wrangling?
Why did the Republican party split over
the question and why was it possible for
coalition of Republicans and practically
the ertirc Democratic minority to ratify
the pact?
Well might the outsider ask these ques-
tons and search the speeches in congress
for an answer. But the momentum be
hind ratification was not due to speech
making or argument. 1t was due TO
variety of causes all of which combined
to produce the result. Some Of them have
an intensely interesting relationship to
the worlds oil supply. some of them have
to do with Pan-American fellowship, and
some have to do with altruism. but it Is
safe to say that never was treaty
passed which had behind it as peculiar an
array of influences as tRat which pushed
| the measure through the senate by vote
| of 60 to 10, only five more than the nee
| cSsary tWO-thlrdS.
ANllUCfAtG VI VII
First with respect to the oil question.
| All the week the air had been full of sig
| nificant rumOrS cmauating from official
sources that the oil supply of Mexico
would run dry in three or four years and
/ that Americas wells could not hope to
/ keep pace with world demand for many
years more possibly IS, and that the next
| best oil field open to American devel1p-
mont * in Colombia. When it is conSid-
cred that the British and French have
| been engaged i'm Il controversy over the
| MeSonotamia oil field and that the whole
world has only lately recognized the vital
! inheritance of oil a. fuel. the scramble
| for possession of n footh0ld in Colombia
/ is only natural. OF course, there have
been cynical inSinuati0uS that the Colon
| hian oil question had n lot TO do with the
| determination of the Harding admImStra-
/ tion to ride rough Nhod over the Wor-
SINNERS of Roosevelt and that OIL inter
cStS alone would benefit from the ratiica-
ton. There is. however, another side to
i that suggestion. 1t was a fact that ire
! Spective Of the talk of preferential treat
ImCut to American interests II they secured
/ the ratification of the Colombian treaty,
! discrimination against American nationals
! was beginning to manifest itself. W nat
/ America wanted was an even break at
| least with the nationals of other countries.
IThere was no way OF compelling tnIom-
/ bia to give American citizens square
tt-tt tAftltt ~ AlEAtA4t Att'- ING
! Colombia felt had been done her by the
! separation of the canal zone from the ter
lritory of Colombia.
In so far as the treaty eoothes the
wounded feelings of Colombia, it places
Il American capital on an equal footing with
! that Of European and Asiatic countries.
! 1t was case of reciprocity. Colombia
said i'm effect. deal fairly with rs and
We will deal fairly with YOU
/ There is good reason to believe, how
ever, that the ratification Of the treaty
/ will do more than give Americans an even
break 1t will probably result in prefer
entail treatment Assurances have in the
past been given that Colombia would
H spend a large part of the $25,0000OO in
H the United States, letting contracts for
II the building of domestic improvements i'm
Colombia, public works, railroads and
utilities