Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-05
In the Snotlight.~

The Senate of the United States will
be in the spotlight when it meets again
Monday at the call of President Hoover.
This is not unusual But in this case
1t is important. The suggestion has
been made that Senators, weary with
the work of the session of Congress
Just closed, viii absent themselves from
Washington, leaving the Senate with
out quorum. This is more than a
suggestion on the part of the opponents
Of the London naval treaty-it is a
hope. Illness alone should be the ex-
cuse for such absence. The duty of
Senators of the United States is to at
tend to the public business when the
call comes. This is true for both the
opponents and the supporters of the
pending London naval treaty.
The world will watch with peculiar
interest the Senate in session ct this
time. The business before the Senate
for consideration is a matter Of mo-
ment. not only to the people of the
United states, but to the peoples of
many other nations. The naval limita-
ton treaty grows out of a desire on the
part of many peoples to drop the bur-
den of expenditure growing out of COM
petitive naval building and out of a
desire for peace peace that will last.
The treaty itself has been the subject
of criticism, not alone in the United
states, but in Great Britain and in
Japan. Apd the criticisms have come
IN all three countries from sources
which are opposed in the main to any
limitation OF naval armament. There
have been the critics, too, who for po-
litical purposes are sntagonistic to any
thing that the Hoover administration
or the Ramsay Macdonald Labor gov
eminent or the existing government in
Japan may do. They are the snipers
in this fight for treaty ratification. not
guided by principle. but by personal
ambition. t.
Under the Constitution of the United
States the President may negotiate
treaties with foreign nations, but these
treaties must be ratified by two-thirds
vote of the Senate. It has been obvious
for months that many more Senators
than the two-thirds required for the
ratification are favorable to the treaty.
But still there has been delay-delay
In the hope that public sentiment may
change, or that the result of the con-
gressional elections next November may
have an influence upon the vote in the
Senate If it is postponed until next
Winter. No one should deny the right
of the minority on any question to a
full expression of its views and to time
for consideration. But there is a rea-
sonsble limit to such expression and
70 the time required for consideration,
In the case of the London treaty ample
time has been given for consideration.
The time has come for debate and
action
In some quarters there has been a
disposition to belittle the London treaty
on the ground that it does not provide
for suficient reduction in naval arma-
.nents. The very fact that the three
great naval powers of the world have
come together in agreement on limi-
tation of their total naval tonnage is,
however, an astounding accomplish
rnent viewed in the light of world opin-
ion of a quarter of century ago. 1t
marks step toward international will
insness to settle disputes between ma
tons by peaceful means, rather than
by warlike. which has not hitherto been
eaualed 1t is something tangible,
something on which to hang. Should
the Senate of the United states defeat
this agreement or postpone action on it
for months, the hopes Of the world
would be lowered and the skeptics and
the cynics would have full sway again.