The daily times., 1922-01-26
WOULD LIMIT PRESIDENT
There is No Use, According to
MIR. Brandegee, for the
United States to Enter Into
Conference Economic or
Otherwise as Only the Sem
ate as the Right to Act.
(By David LaWrence.)
Copyright 1922 by The Daily
Times \


Washington, Jan. Ex-senator
pronouncement that the
United States is not bound by the
policy of the President or
Secretary of State without the con-
sent of the Senate is the sensation of
the hour.
Foreign governments whose repre-
sentatives have been at a loss to un-
derstand the constitutional system of
the United States ever since an
American President signed a contract
which the Senate repudiated are be-
wildered over the new turn of events.
The truth is a controversy has been
brewing under the surface between
President Harding's former col
leagues on the Republican side OF
the Senate chamber and the Secre-
tary of State which if carried to a
logical conclusion may mean re-
change in the import
ance of Secretary of State or Amer
lean ambassadors abroad.
Senator Brandegee is the leader OF
the Isolation bloc" But the views
he expresses about the necessity Of
getting the consent of the Senate be-
fore any international act of the
United States government can be
binding is not something of recent
origin. The late Philander Knox
once a secretary of state himself be-
came converted to that doctrine at
ter he became a member of the Sen
ate and it was with difficulty that
President Harding coaxed him to
eliminate from his famous peace re-
solution a phrase "directingH the
Chief Executive to negotiate treaty
with Germany Besides Senator Bran
degee there are some Senators of the
so-called liberal school and some
Democrats of the William Jennings
Bryan philosophy on foreign affairs
who believe a diplomatic note ex-
changed between governments should
not be sent without the full approval
| of the American Senate.
| President Harding himself has
recognized the weight of the move.
|ment which seeks to prevent the
tChief Executive by a series of note:
from committing the government te
a course of action from which the
lSenate cannot honorably extricate it
lself. It is still a matter of debate II
congressional circles whether th'
members who voted for the declara
ltion Of war with Germany after th'
|Chief Executive had publicly pro
Iclaimed the step would have votet
Ifor war if the issue had arisen il
lCongress without any previous ex
Ichanges of notes on the submarin
Iouestion by which the executive fel
America, was committed to go t.
war.
| The problem of an executive
right to negotiate any kind OF al
agreement with a foreign govern
iment has suddenly been thrown int
naelstrom of after-the-war contro
Iyersies, and while this question aros
!. over the sending of an American req
resentative to attend the Genoa cor
ference, it will establish an import
ant precedent Mr.. Brandegee OF Cor
necticut doesn't deny the right
the President to send an Ambasado
or any other personal agent to a.
tie nd unoficially or otherwise an II
aternational conference such as is
be held at Genoa but he insists ths
neither the President nor his spoke
s men can commit the United State
II to any policy which isn't first al
X proved by the Senate. Whether
IS would be sufficient to consult the Fo
# eign Relations Committee of tt
2 Senate as in the past or whether
l. two thirds vote must be obtained b
,e fore any important answer can
(Continued on Page Six.)