White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1933-05-18

1t Operates
By William Bruckax5
TREATY NEGOTIATIONS

TIME United States and Canada
i have just lately concluded treaty
that represents an agreement between
our government and that of our neigh
Dor on the north whereby deep wa
terway will be constructed connecting
the Great Lakes and the Atlantic
ocean. It is gigantic engineering
project that is contemplated; it has
vast potentialities for our people and
their commerce, 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 Capt.
tai city lies many ramifcations and
maneuvers. They are called "negoti-
ations'' at the end, and they repre-
sent as well as any in history the
processes through which nations must
go in reaching agreement on the terms
Of contract, for treaty, after all,
is only contract. Treaty negot1a-
lions, however, are not unlike swap
ping of horses in the old days. 1t is
a matter of give and take, and each
fellow looks out for himself.
It seldom takes as much time to &C.
complish an understanding respecting
treaty terms as has elapsed since the
deep waterway proposal first was adj
vanced more than fifty years ago.
Commercial interests saw the need OF
it long before our government could
be interested in the project. The
same was true among the Canadians,
except that they did not regard devel-
opment of the waterway as important
until recent years because their COM
merce 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 constructed. There had to
be 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 however,
some of the statesmen at the head of
the Dominion government were not
friendly to the idea. There was oppo-
sition as we'll among certain interests
in this country. For example, many
of the railroads serving the northern
half of the United States and draw
ing traffic from the regions around
and west of the Great Lakes are op-
posed to the waterway for the very
obvious reason that they fear it will
take away some Of their traffic. And
SO it goes. Opposition and support
for the plan may be found every
where lin areas affected by it.
From this it is easily deduced that
considerable amount of preliminary
work had to be done to acquaint the
peoples of the merit of the project.
1t has now been formally signed be-
cause the ruling political group in
Canada believe it is practicable and
valuable and the administration OF
our government has fostered the idea
throughout.
But the treaty is not vet operative.
| ~ ,toC fn
another at Ottawa. While it's accept
ance by the, Dominion government Is
little more than formality, ratifica-
ton of the agreement by the senate
| of the United States is another mat
ter. The Constitution provides for ne
gotiation Of the treaty by the Presi-
dent. by and with the advice and con-
sent Of the senate. So 1t has to take
hurdle Of some consequence before 1t
becomes 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 letter from the secre-
tary 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 relations, and that group
will hold hearings to which it will in
vite spokesman for the various groups
Interested in it's ratification or rejec-
ton. 1t will listen to both sides.
In addition, it will invite the secre-
tary of state and the American minis
ter to ottawa and experts who partici.
pated in the actual writing Of the doc.
ument to come before it and tell what
the treaty does. These men probably
will testify in private, however, for il
must be remembered that all interna.
tional negotiations are carried or
largely in secrecy. That is necessary
because it is frequently inadvisable
to make public the basis of horse
swapping. Some people will think