The Coolidge examiner., 1933-03-17
Our Government
How 1t Operates
BY William Rruckart
TREATY NEGOTIATIONS

! between our government and that
of our neighbor on the north where
by a deep waterway will be con-
| structed connecting the Great Lakes
and the Atlantic ocean. 1t is a gi-
gantic engineering project that is
| contemplated it has vast potential
| tiles for our people and their COM
merce, and it will stand through the
| years as a monument to the genius
| of two peoples who desire to see
| opportunities utilized for the good
of all.
But behind the formal signing of
that treaty which took place in the
| Department of State here in the
| Capital city lies many ramifications
and maneuverS. They are called
negotiations" at the end, and they
represent as well as any in history
the processes through which ma
| tions must go in reaching agree
ment on the terms of a contract, for
a treaty, after all, is only a con-
tract. Treaty negotiations, however,
are not unlike swapping of horses
in the old days. 1t is a matter of
give and take, and each fellow looks
out for himself.
1t seldom takes as much time to
accomplish an understanding re-
specting treaty terms as has elapsed
since the deep waterway proposal
| first was advanced more than fifty
years ago. Commercial interests
saw the need of 1t long before our
government could be interested in
| the project. The same was true
among the Canadians, except that
they did not regard development of
the waterway as important until re-
cent years because their commerce
began expanding later than ours.
Yet through all of those years,
two peoples were slowly but surely
moving to the point where their
governments could agree as to what
was necessary In a treaty under
which the channel could be con-
structed. There had to be a
treaty, of course, because the rights
of each nation were involved and
each nation had to give up some of
those rights when the contract was
made.
Active movements by our govern
ment, looking to the treaty and the
waterway project to be built under
it's terms, were instituted almost
ten years ago. At that time, how
ever, some of the statesmen at the
head of the Dominion government
were not friendly to the idea. There
was opposition as well among GER
tain interests in this country. For
example, many of the railroads serv-
ing the northern half of the United
States and drawing traffic from the
regions around and west of the
Great Lakes are opposed to the
waterway for the very obvious rea-
son that they fear it will take away
some of their traffic. And so it
goes. Opposition and support for
the plan may be found everywhere
in areas affected by it.
From this 1t is easily deduced
that a considerable amount Of pre-
liminary work had to be done to
acquaint the peoples of the merit
of the project.
1t has now been formally signed
because the ruling political group
in Canada believe it is practicable
and valuable, and the administra-
tion of our government has fostered
the idea throughout.
But the treaty is not yet opera
tive. 1t has another stage to pass
here and another at Ottawa. While
it's acceptance by the Dominion gov
ernment is little more than for
mality, ratification of the agree
ment by the senate of the United
States is another matter The Con-
stitution provides for negotiation
of the treaty by the President, by
and with the advice and consent Of
the senate. So it has to take a
hurdle of some consequence before
it becomes a binding agreement
and one that is fully operative.
When the President transmits the
st. Lawrence waterway treaty to
the senate for it's consideration, he
will send with it a letter from the
secretary Of state explaining the
benefits hoped to be derived. But
the senate will not be content with
that. 1t will turn the treaty over
to it's committee on foreign rela-
tions, and that group will hold hear
ings to which it will invite spokes-
men for the various groups inter
eseed in its ratification or rejection.
In addition, it will invite the Sec
retary of state and the American
minister to Ottawa and experts who
participated in the actual writing
of the document to come before it
and tell what the treaty does. These
men probably will testify in private,
however, for it must be remembered
that all international negotiations
are carried on largely in secrecy.
If a majority Of the committee ia
vor ratification, they will vote to
submit it to the senate with that