Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-24
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL =. COLLINS.

| ton BY the Chief Executive. He
sought the Senate'S advice and con-
SENT" even as Senator Borah sug-
| gests other Presidents should do. So
| the Senate adopted a procedure for
| such oral conferences, and scarcely
was that adopted when notification
came from President Washington that
he would arrive next morning. He
was a do.it-now President, without
any "watchful waiting" even as to
Mexico.
In accordance with the notifica-
| ton the President arrived on time,
accompanied by Gen. Knox, an ex-
| pert in Indian affairs--even as the
subcommittee Will be, next Decem-
ber-accompanied by Maj Knocks.
| Now read on:
Senator Maclay says. The Presi-
dent was introduced and took our
Presidents chair. He rose and told
| us bluntly that he had called on us
for our advice and consent to some
| propositions respecting the treaty to
be held with the Southern Indians.
A short paper containing a few ex-
| plantations was read, after which the
Senate was called upon to give it's
advice and consent by voting by an
affirmative or negative vote on
seven specific questions as to the
proposed negotiations. The Senate
| seemed unwilling to do this with
out having first fully considered the
| articles. Robert Morris moved to
refer the matter to a special COM
mittee. To this 1t was objected that
a council never referred anything to
a committee" (Sic.)
Never referred a treaty matter
even to subcommittee In the
delectable Nicaraguan mountains!
| tSic, Sic emD o Orizaba. O
Popocatepet. o Iztaccihuatl. o
Borah!.
The President stated that while
he had no objections to postpone
ment the reference to a committee
would defeat the very purpose of his
meeting the Senate.
The President withdrew with a
discontinued air"
Senator Maclay continues: Had it
i been any other than the man I wish
to regard as the first character in
the world, l would have said with
sullen dignity"
President Washington never again
tried that
The unforgettable point in that
incident Is the acceptance by all
parties of the rule that a council"
"a Senate committee of the whole
Senate--cannOt refer it's :advice and
| consent" to any committee or sub
committee; hence, when Senator
Borah with his staff of sergeant at
| arms assistants starts to summon
| Mexicans and Nicaraguans before
| the bar. that bar will be the whole
United States Senate, else all pro-
ceedings will be null and void and
4 "A
+, with a Reed shaken by a Borean
| wind may summon Americans, but
| 1t takes the whole Senate to give
| squads right" to Sacasa and Gales
| Washington proved it.
| Here is another interesting prece-
| dent applicable to Nicaragua. In
| 1857, when it was proposed to annex
the Hawaiian Islands to the United
States. objections to that course were
made by the japanese Minister, under
instructions by Count Okuma. In the
opening of the note on the subject.
the statement was made: 1T is under
stood that only a small fraction of
| their number favor annexation"
Mr.. John Sherman, Secretary of
| State, said that he could not allow
| this declaration to pass in silence, and
he stated: ut cannot be that one so
well informed in the history of inter
| national relations as Count Okuma
could have wished to suggest thereby
the propriety of appealing from the
action Of government to the 'popula-
ton In international comfy and
practice, the will of nation is ascer-
tanned through the established and
/ recognized government, and 1t Is only
| through it that nation can speak. :"
y X X n
Since Sherman had not the benefit
OF the Ia points, he declared that a
government which officially repre-
scented the people must be respected
by foreign negotiatorS Perhaps more