Evening star., 1936-02-02
BY HERBERT WRIGHT,

WOULD 0e StrdHSe quIk Vi
fate If the hand of Democratic
Secretary OF State William Jen-
4 nings Bryan should reach. from
the grave to prevent Democratic Sec
retary of State Cordell Hull and
Democratic Secretary of the Interior
and Petroleum Administrator Harold
L. Ickes from applying a virtual en-
barge upon shipments of oil and other
key products to italy and thus sup
porting the supplementary sanctions
program of the League of Nations.
And yet that such may be the case is
not beyond the realm Of possibilities.
And thereby hangs q tale.
It seems that President Wilson, in
the months intervening between the
presidential election of 1912 and his
Inauguration in 1918, was considering
the formation of his cabinet. He re-
quested an interview with Mr.. Bryan.
the upshot of which was the offer to
and the acceptance Ey Mr.. Bryan of
the Secretaryship of State. However,
Mr.. Bryan laid down as a condition
Of his acceptance that the President
should allow him to negotiate series
of treaties in accordance with draft
which he produced. This was a type
written draft of the so-called treaties
for the advancement of peace. Mr..
Wilson read the draft and stated that
he would have no objection to Mr..
Bryan's proposal. But Mr.. Bryan was
not satisfied with a mere nihil obstat.
He desired to make these treaties an
integral part of his foreign policy. 1t
was only upon Mr.. Wilson's assurance
on this point that Mr.. Bryan con-
sented to accept the portfolio.
What were these treaties which were
destined to have such far-reaching
effects then as now? For long time
Mr.. Bryan had been interested in
labor troubles and in the course of his
experience he had found that the
greatest difficulty in the solution of
labor controversies was the ascertain
ment of the facts at the basis of the
controversy. He had observed that,
once the facts had been ascertained,
very frequently the question would de-
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be paved for an easy solution. From
this he argued, quite reasonably, that
II the nations would agree to a pro-
cedure by which some impartial body
would ascertain the facts at the basis
of controversy, nations might be ex-
pected, like labor groups. to reach a
satisfactory solution and thus avoid
possible bloodshed.
CompulsiOn Idea Included.
It is no discredit to Mr.. Bryan. a
man Of practical affairs and admit
tedly not an expert in international
law and relations. that he was not
aware that such procedure was made
available to the nations by Convention
on the Pacific Settlement of Inter-
national Disputes of The Hague Con-
ferences of 1899 and 1907.
But under the procedure established
at these conferences there was no
compulsion for the nations to follow
this course of action; they were merely
recommended to follow it. Mr.. Bryan's
idea was that the United States should
take the lead in making such a pro-
cedure compulsory in any interna-
tional dispute in which the United
States was an interested party. And
he set about effecting this in a most
realistic manner.
He knew that treaties of this nature
must receive the advice and consent
of the United States Senate. He
accordingly waited upon the Com
mittee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate and laid before its members
his projects, asking them if they
would accept treaties of this nature
If he were able to negotiate them.
Upon assurance of their acceptance
he negotiated some 30 treaties, every
one Of which was advised to in ad-
vance and some of which were i'm
mediately consented to when they
were submitted to the Senate in their
negotiated form.
BY many people Mr.. Bryan has
been looked upon as visionary and
1t is natural for such people to brush
aside Mr.. Bryan's treaties for the
advancement of peace as the ema-
nations of a pious but misguided
mind, or, at least, as the innocuous
efforts of dreamer. Many, even
experts in the field, have cavalierly
consigned them long since to the
limbo of forgotten things, for certain
1t is that there is no known instance
Of any of these treaties coming into
active operation. 1t might be asked,
Of what use is such an institution
rs commission of inquiry to ascer-
tain facts If the nations have not |
seen fit to make use of the institution. |
This, on its face, would seem to
be valid argument. And yet it is
a strange phenomenon in human af-
fairs that frequently the mere exist
ence of political machinery for a
given objective obviates the necessity |
for its use. Thus, for example, in the
entire 146 years Of the existence of
the United States there have been |
only an even dozen cases in which
the impeachment process has been
invoked.
Had World War Bearing.
So it is with the commissions of in
quiry provided for by the Bryan
treaties for the advancement of peace.
The mere availability of them with
the attendant compulsion to submit
controversies to them obviates the
for their use, because the ma
tions, with that possibility in mind,
have settled their controversies by
direct diplomatic negotiation or in
some other peaceful fashion. It would
and even startle many in
dividuals to learn that the existence of
one of Mr.. Bryan's treaties possibly
prevented the United States from en-
tering the World War against Great
Britain over a year before she actu-
lily entered it against Germany and
On the side of Great Britain. Yet
Iuch is the fact.
In the latter part Of 1915, when
President Wilson was much disturbed
over the fact that Great Britain,
through orders in council and other
measures, was interfer-
49, l.