Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-01-22

subject that really required
the space of a lecture to get
at exactly, what every one
meant. But the President must
call this to Mr.. Finey's atten-
ton. When one is talking
about the rights of the in
dividual States - and Gen.
Eisenhower supposed that if
one were going to classify the
President as anything. one
would class hi mas a State
Righter-one should ask him.
self this question: Why was
the Constitution formed to re-
place the old Articles of Con-
federation?
If Mr.. Finney would look up
the histor yof the time. he
would find that each one of the
States under the Articles of
Confederation had a right to
repudiate a treaty. Because of
this fact, the founding fathers
who Gen. Eisenhower still
thinks were probably the wisest
group of men that ever were
brought together in this coun-
try, possibly in the world. in
the governmental field-the
founding fathers provided that
a treaty properly ratified
should take precedence over
any State law. including a
States constitution.
Single Authority.
That was so that the peo-
Pile, the individual. the rep
resentative of the United
States-and that means the
President and Secretary of
State-or both acting togeth-
er-meeting a like repre-
sentative from other nations,
can represent one government.
and can speak with that much
authority. They would not
be trying the impossible task
of representing 48 govern
ments.
There has been a very great
deal Of concern developing for
tear that the treaty making
power may be used to con-
travene the Constitution. Some
of the reporters might recall
that last July, when Senator
KnoWland introduced a sub
stitute amendment for the
Brlcker amendment. Gen.
Eisenhower issued a statement
saying there were certain
things to which he would
gladly agree-a statement
which said that any treaty
or any other kind of interna-
tional agreement that con-
travened any article of our
Constitution should be null
and void. The statement said
Gen Eisenhower would agree
to that.
Secondly, he would agree
that the votes on these
treaties. where they are passed
by two-thirds' vote in the
Senate, should be by yeas and
nays to record the purpose OF
that on the part of it's advo-
Gates. and to record who was
there and how many Senators
actually approved.
Notes Existing Curbs.
Also, the July statement
said the Senate could, when
ever it chose, include in its
approval of a treaty that any
thing affecting the internal
affairs Of the United States
could become effective only by
an act of Congress.
Gen. Eisenhower wanted to
point out one thing else. The
power of Congress, by subse-
quent action. to nullify any
article of a treaty has never
been questioned. Now, this
fear that the Constitution
might be damaged had led
him to agree to all those
amendments. But it comes
down to this. that if the Ma
ton has to go right back to
the general system that pre-
vailed before the Constitution
was adopted, then he certainly
shall agree.
1t takes a long time to get
an amendment passed. This
thing with Gen. Eisenhower
is completely objective. It is
completely his belief and his
concern for what is good for
the future Of the United States
and not the present. Gen
Eisenhower was quite sure the
Bricker amendment question
cannot affect these next three
wears