Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-11-30
AVOID FOREIGN
PACTS, ADVICE
OF BEVERIDGE
Former Indiana Senator Says
Danger Turks in Special
agreements.
CONSTITUTION ENOUGH

FRANKLIN. Ind. Nov. 3O.-Denunci-
alton of all kinds Of agreements with
foreign nations. other than through the
regular forms of treaties. marked the
address of Albert !. BeveridGe on ne
DEVELOPMENT of fthe American Constitu-
tion" before the Johnson County Bar
Association ut Franklin last night
Mr. BeycridSe made a strong plea Tor
following the constitution strictly IN all
our relations with foreign nations AID
said that a policy of entering into ex. IA
constitutional agreements and under
standings with other countries can lead
only to trouble in the end.
IL, also said that no country in the
world had been so propaganda ridden
I'm the last twenty years as the United
States and in no other country. he de-
cIared. would such propaganda be tOler-
ated.
SENATE MUST
RATIFY AGREEMENTS.
In part he said:
IAN compacts between the United
States and another country must be ne
yotiated by the President and reduced
to writing: and then ratified by two
thirds of the Senate. Such engagements
are called treaties. No legal or binding
international agreement can be made by
this country except by this process and
in this form
'This American plan is peculiar to our
form Of Government. 1t is absolutely
ENTHUSIASTICALLY and exclusively
American. Thus far it has saved us from
foreign commitments which would have
embroiIed us in foreign troubles and in
trigues throughout our entire history
This American plan, enshrined in our
national Constitution, is rs well known
10 foreign statesmen. diplomats and
journalists as it is TO our own ,ublic
men-indped il is much better known TO
informed foreigners than it appears to be
known to many of our officials. even
some 50 kigh-placed as United States
Senators.
CITES EVILS
OF ENTENTE"
within comparatively recent years.
European diplomacy invented Il form Of
enga gemsnts between nations. not so
conspicuous. but just as binding and far
more dangerous than formal alliances.
This European device is called an
entente an understanding an in
formal agreement or by any other name
which appears TO be most innocent and
innocuous and which will invite least
opposition.
Not long ago this European method
was imported into America and employed
N the indefensibIe Lansing-Ishii agree
ment-a 'Eentlemens agreement So
called which does not bind us legally or
morally. but which can and will cause us
desperate trouble with Japan unless we
live up 10 it.
OTHER AGREEMENTS
ARE PROPOSED.
we now hear millions Of words about
making other agreements Of exactly
the same nature; and we are told that the
purpose of entering into such under
standings is to prevent the Senate of the
United States from passing upon them,
which would have to be done if these
agreements We're put in the form Of
treaties as the Constitution requires.
while such agreement or understand
inEs' OF entente are not unconstitutional
they are n-cOnstitutionaI-they are IN
known to the Constitution and are en-
tirely extra unconstitutional. And they do
viOlate-f acran:ly violate-the spirit Of
the Constitution.
Moreover, they are Infinitely more
periiouS to America than any open and
above-board alliance could possibly be.
In the first place these agreements
understandings OF 'ententes' are not so
precise and exact as treaties; and there
fore are capable OF flexible and elastic
definition
COUNTRY RIDDEN
BY PROPAGANDA.
I'm the next place. since public opinion
would have much to do with the inter
probation and execution Of these agree
ments.' understandings or 'ententes'
foreign propaganda would ceaselessly
work in every possible way to induce us
10 take the view which the foreign ma
tiOn interested. would want us to take
All informed people know that, from the
beginning, the United States has been the
most OpaGanda- ridden country on
earth and that to save us from that peril
was one OF the principal motives that
caused Washington to give TO the people
his immortal farewell address.
within the last twenty years We have
suffered grievOusly from this scourse (;
and during the present year we have been
afflicted with foreign propaganda a.
never befOre-propagand all the more
dangerous in that its seeming purposes
run with our present mood.
SHOULD BE PUT
IN BLACK AND WHITE.
"Should it be found wise to make
foreign commitments which will affect
not only Us who are living. but also our
children and childrens children, would
it not be better TO reduce those COM
mitments TO writing in the form Of a
treaty or treaties as required by the
Constitution?
Had We not better know exactly what