Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-13
SENATE IN HURRY
TO ACT ON TREATY
Restlessness Directs Itself
Toward Prompt Ratifica-
ton Ballot.
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

Lie ulSpOSiClOn OF the SENATE u 10
hurry the ratification of the London
naval pact. This tendency has in
creased since the Senate returned in
special session the beginning of this
week. There Is literally no other bust
ness except the treaty before the
Senate, and practically no business be-
fore any Senate committee.
While Senators wait YEARLY for the
| final roll-cal on the treaty, about the
only matter they have to interest or
amuse them has been the spectacle Of
the effort to diSlodge that energetically
clinging limpet, Claudius Huston, from
the Craftsmanship of the Republican
National Committee. That side-show
to national politics has provided some
little occupation to Republican Sena-
tors and q considerable amount of
agreeable amusement to Democratic
ones. Senators do not feel, however,
that Chairman Illusions little drama Is
sufficient alienation to an idle life in
Washington during spell Of excep-
tionally hot weather.
In the absence of any other occupa-
ton or diversion, Senators are in
creaSingly fretful about being obliged
to remain here for the sole purpose Of
voting on the treaty. InaSmuch as
they all know the outcome will be rati-
! fication, there is a rogressivelpy restless
wish to get it done.
Aid in Restlessness.
The restlessness all directs itself
toward prompt ratification. Practically
none of the impotence takes the form
OF proposal or a wish to 60 home
| without ratification. Senators are
aware that 1t would not look like pune
tilious management of the business of
the United States IL the session should
just peter out to nothing through fall
ure Of enough Senators to remain to
make a quorum. That Is not likely to
| happen. What Is more likely to hap
/ pen Is that impotence with delay will
! take the form of determination to vote
(! on the treaty and be done with 1t.
1t Is fundamentally q fact that the
| IL or so Senator's who oppose the treaty
could at any time end the session and
| throw the controversy over into next
Winter. They could conceivably ac-
complish that by merely going home,
for their absence would reduce the
Senate to less than quorum. They
show no disposition, however, to do
that. They prefer to make their fight
! directly.
| According to their rights, the oppo-
nents of the treaty are earnest enough
Nevertheless the spirit of the session
runs strongly against them and strongly
| against prolongation of the session. II
! the friends of the treaty-or, to put
It another way, the enemies of delay
should become sufficiently determined
they could adopt the unusual yet easily
| possible device of cloture and bring
the debate to an end upon fixed day
, What Is more apt to happen is the mo-
mentum of impotence arriving at such
a volume that by general consent the
controversy will be abandoned and q
vote will be taken.
Many Anxious to Go.
Many of the Senators are acutely
anxious to get away. OF the roughly 81
Senators who answer the roll calls TO
quorum from time to time, IA are III
for reelection in their several States
Nineteen more, not up for reelection
-, themselves, have elections In their vari
Gus States involving the fortunes o
-, several senatorial partners. With com.
paratively slight Interruptions, most o
the Senators have been here steadil!
since about December /, 1928.
| The restleSsneSS is increased b,
realization that the first three days o
the special session have been consumed
in discussion of a point that has NJ
| practical relation to the fate of thu
treaty. The demand for the right Il
see all the dispatches passing between
! the Secretary of State and Ambassador
Dawes in London is, so to speak. al
! academic struggle over a point of ritual
mering struggle for power and prestig,
between the Senate and the executiv,
branch of the Government.
| The Senate wants to establish TIT
/! principle that it Is entitled to 9
| larger share in the negotiation O.
! treaties. Most Of the Senators sup
| porting the demand for the dispatches
do not think of the demand as havin,
any bearing on their votes upon tn,
treaty itself.
Senator Reed Of Pennsylvania, speak.
ing for the friends of the treaty, ha:
offered to show the dispatches to any
Senator who wishes to see them. Sena.
tor johnson of California retorts thai
he doesn't want to see the dispatche.
as a concession. He wants to see then
as a matter Of right. He wants to es.
tablish the prerogative of the Senate
and he wants to set q precedent Much
Of his contribution to the debate i.
about a metaphysical distinction be.
tween power" and "propriety." Speak.
ing historically, something is to be sale
for the argument that the Senate ha.
lost some of the share in treaty-makinI
that the Constitution contemplated Civ.
ing that body $50 years ago when the
Government began. Balancing this
however, is another historical fact
Treaty-making is. in the main, q diff
ferent matter from what it was wher
the Government began. At that time
most of the treaties were made with
Indian tribes and had to do with grants
of land, Under that state of facts il
was important to Senators representing
the States that they should have
pretty direct hand in negotiating trea-
ties directly affecting their States.
| Copyright. ls3o).