Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-03-16

POLITICS ENDS
AT SEASHORE
Beveridge Tells KOkomo XII.
wanians Passing on Treaty
Most Serious Duty.
Special to The Times.

0pCCAeA " ic lAAoS.
K0KOMO, Ind, March 1e.-In voting
for the ratification of a treaty a Senator
must use his own judgment, realizing
| that what he does cannot be undone; that
it binds the Nation permanently and
unalterably affects the future of every
man, woman and child in the republic
Albert J. Beveridge, candidate for the Re-
publican nomination for the United States
Senate, declared in a speech before the
Kiwanis Club here today.
"Most important of the Senate's ex-
ecutive powers and duties is that con-
corning treaties" Mr.. Beveridge said.
1.-THE treayt-making prOVision Of the
Constitution is original with and pc
culiar to the United States.
ut is distinctively- American, and Is
not only totally unlike, but positively
the reverse of the treaty making method
Of the nations with which we come into
most frequent contact.
PASSING ON A TREATY
MOST SERIOUS DUTY.
BY far the most important and seri-
Gus duty which Senator must discharge
is that of passing on a treaty; because
when the Senate ratifes a treaty it be-
comes a contract with another nation.
modified in any way thereafter.
"A bill. if passed and approved, be-
comes law but at the very next SEES
sion Congress can repeal or amend that
law, and often does so. 1t freqently is
found that law which Congress believes
wise ana practical, and which the people
demand, soon turns out to be unwise and
impracticable; and the people as earnest
ly wish to get rid of it as they earnestly
wished its enactment. So Congress
strikes It from the statute books.
But this cannot be done in the case of
a treaty. No matter how unwise it may
prove to be, no matter how much the
people desire to be relieved Of it it can
not be oyerthrown, or changed, or shaken.
There it is, and there it remains.
SHOULD GIVE WEIGHT
TO PUBLIC OPINION.
80 In RAISING upon a treaty a Sena-
tor acts from a fundamentally different
point Of view than he does when merely
voting on an ordinary law. In the en-
should give great weight to public opin-
ion, though even then such influence
should never absolutely control him. Next
year, If public opinion changes, he can
change accordingly and undo what he
did in obedience to public opinion the
year before.
But the ratification Of a treaty Is far
different; II the public opinion Of today
IS reversed tomorrow the Senator can
not follow this altered sentiment and
undo what he did in radfying the treaty.
Citizens must get this vital distinction
firmly In mind-indeed, 1t cannot be too
often repeated: An ordinary law can be
repealed or amended, while treaty can
never be repealed or amended.
in passing upon treaties there should
be no trace of partisanshlp. In the con-
temptation of the constitution there can
be no such thing as party action upon
treaties.
"ro line up Senators on such sub
jects according to partisan utilization is
as absurd as it is contrary to the public
interests.
Party politics stops at the seashOre.
On this one subject a Senator should act
on his own judgment, realizing that what
he does cannot be undone: that 1t binds
the Nation permanently, and unalterably
affects the future of every man, woman
and child in the republic"