The Rock Island Argus and daily union., 1922-02-23
Continued from First Page.)

the United States in relation to
their insular possessions and do
minions. 1t says in relation to-,
which of course is broad enough to
cover such an aggression as Rus
sia might start toward the Sakhal-
in island. Now Japan's rights in
that island are matter of dispute
today. Yet article two Of the four
power treaty requires conference
of powers whenever aggression by
an outside power develops over
said rights 1t doesn't define what
said rights may be ano if we do
not now say that we have the right
to determine for ourselves whether
those rights are valid or invalid, we
may be in the possession of having
acquiesced in them.
Wants World To Know.
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 un-
derSeanding or an adjustment
What actually happens? A dele
gate or ambassador represents the
United States at that conference.
An agreement is reached Since
Sakhalin is an island, the only
means of protecting it is by navy
or by economic boycott of the Of
Tending power. Now it may de-
velop that the public sentiment of
America is against war with Rus
sia or that we of this country do
not believe Japan has right to the
island in question. What / want to
prevent is some American presi-
dent getting up and saying that an
agreement has been reached under
the terms of treaty ratified by the
United States senate whereby a con-
ference of powers determines 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
properly secret-we may wake up
and find ourselves on the threshold
of war without a voice as to
whether we want to commit our
selves to war. 1t is said that all
this is understood in the language
of the treaty. We who read Eng
lish and are familiar withsour own
constitutional system may be in
agreement about it but l want ev-
erybody in Japan and Russia and
elsewhere in the world to under
stand that congress has absolute
freedom of action and that the rati-
fication of this treaty doesn't put
upon us any moral OF legal obliga-
ton as to what we shall do in the
future when confronted by the
question of maintaining anybody's
rights in the Pacific"
Remove Foreign Doubts.
Mr.. Brandegee believes President
Harding himself holds the same
view about the rights and powers
of congress and probably feels that
the reservation is unnecessary be-
cause he himself would surely con-
suit congress in advance of max
ing any serious move to find out
whether congress approved. But
with the eVer-growing power of the
executive, men like Senator Bran
degee believe it would remove at
once any doubts in the minds of
foreign governments if in the four
power treaty were written a spe-
cific reservation showing that con-
gress is the final authority when
anything involving the use of force
is contemplated. European gov
ernments have their own quick
remedy when their prime minister
or foreign secretary in the midst
of a negotiation does something
which the people do not like.
Overnight ministry can be over
turned. Recently Premier BRAND
was forced out of power in the
midst of treaty negotiation which
his parliament did not approve
Under the American system, there
is no immediate check on the ex-
ecutive if he chooses to ignore
congress. That's why the Brande-
gee reservation may be regarded
as almost a constitutional devel-..
opment designed to give the peo-
pie a greater voice in foreign af- |
fairs.