Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-02-25
SENATOR EXPLAINS
PROPOSED CHANGES
IN 4-POWER PACT
Brandegee Wiling to Attach
Harding's Speech as Res
ervation - Would Give
Congress Power
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Heased Wire Service TO The Journal.
Copyright, 1922

tons to the four-power treaty are
simply trying to put into the instru-
ment of ratification itself the mean
ing and Interpretation of the pact
which President Harding has given
them In his public addresses.
II would be willing" said Senator
Brandegee to this correspondent to-
day, ito attach as reservation the
speech which President Harding
made in submitting he treaties. He
said it did not mean any alliance or
commitment Of any involvement. l
want to see to it that all the ma
tons of the world fully understand
that. There Rvere people, you know,
who said that the United States
WEIGHED when it failed to ratify the
Versailles treaty and they said they
had dealt with the president and
imagined that was sufficient. l be-
lieve the honest thing to do is to
notify the world now when there is
no dispute on the horizon and that
if any rights in relation to insular
possessions in the pacific are threat
ened the congress of the United
States ultimately will decide the is
sue"
There is no partisanship in the
controversy that has arisen as be-
tween men like Senator Brandegee,
of Connesticut; Johnson, of Califor-
MIA, and Borahy Of Idaho, on the one
hand President Harding on the 9TH
er. Anybody who imagines that
these men fought the Versailles
treaty because it was negotiated by
a Democratic president has ample
proof today Of the error of such a
view when the same Republican SEN
ators are Offering reservations to a
treaty negotiated and signed by a
Republican president and indeed,
one of their own former colleagues.
Question Not Personal
A fundamental conception of con-
stitutional rights has developed
which is destined to have far
reaching effect ON American affairs
Tor years to come.
THE question is entirely unrelated
to any personality in congress or to
the occupant of the White House."
explained Senator Brandegee. cit is
solely a question of understanding
the constitutional phases of the
words, United States government.
Under the constitution the govern
ment was divided into three parts
legislative, executive and judicial. ]
firmly believe neither the executive
nor the legislative wants to en-.
croach on the other. I know that
the interpretations which are placed
upon the duties of the presidential
Office differ from time to time.
man like President Harding may
have one idea and Mr.. Wilson might
have another. I am not looking at
the question from the personal view.
point, for these differing conceptions
may rise to trouble America long
after we of the present generation
are dead.
Suppose, for instance, that ten
or fifteen years hence, Russia has
been restored anC encroaches on the
northern half of the island OF
Saghalin, now claimed by Japan
What does Japan do? she calls a
conference Of powers under the
terms of the four-power treaty. The
preamble of the ireGty says it's pur
, pose is to maintain the rights OF
Great Britain, France, Japan and the
United States in relation to their in.
sular possessions and dominions. It
says in relation to- which, of cours
is broad enough to cover such an
aggression as Russia might start to.
ward the Saghalin Island. Now ia.
pans rights in that island are a mat.
ter of dispute today. Yet article two
Of the four-poWer treaty requires a
conference of powers whenever ag.
gression by an outside power devel-
ops over said rights 1t doesn't
define what said rights may be and
II we do not now say that we have
the right to determine for ourselves
these rights are valid or invalid, we
may be in the position of having
acquiesced in them,
Purpose of Conference
But when a conference is called
it is obvious from the language of
this treaty that the purpose of the
conference is to arrive at an under.
standing or an adjustment
What actually happens?
"A delegate or ambassador repre-
SCENTS the United States at that con-
ference. An agreement is reached.
Since Sakhalin is an island, the only
means of protecting it is by navy or
by economic boycott of the offending
power. Now it may develop that
the public sentiment of America is
against war with Russia or that we
of this country do not believe Japan
has d right to the island in question.
What L want to prevent is some
American president getting up and
saying that an agreement has been
reached under the terms of treaty
ratified by the United States senate
whereby a conference of powers de-
termines the most efficient means of
maintaining the rights covered by
the treaty.
with the immense powers WHICH
the executive has of ordering war
ships to any quarter of the globe and
sailing orders are usually and prop
e"ly secret-We may wake up and
find ourselves on the threshold Of
war without a voice as to whether
we want to commit ourselves to war
1t is said that all this is under
stood in the language of the treaty
but we who read English and are IA
miliar with our own constitutional
system may be in agreement about
it, but l want everybody in Russia
and Japan and elsewhere in the
world to understand that congress
has absolute freedom of action and
that the ratification of this treaty
does not put upon us any moral or
legal obligation as to what we shall
do in the future when confronted
with the question of maintaining
anybody's right in the Pacific"