PEACE TREATIES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1205, 14 August 1911, Page 7

PEACE TREATIES.

FATE IN THE BALANCE. AMERICAN SENATE AMENDS BOTH MEASURES. * ! CRITICISM, RESENTED. Dγ AESooiation-Oooyrlehl (Dec. August U, 0.15 a.m.) ■ Washington, August 13. Disregarding Mr. Taft's telegraphic protest, tlio Senate has amejulcd the- AngloAmerican and ■Franco-American arbitration treaties, by eliminating tho provision conferring special powers on a jointhigh commission, Old World dominance is feared by senators. Reference was also made to tho book on tho American Commonwealth, published by tho British AmbßSsador, Mr. James Bryce, which years ago attacked tho Senate for political bias in treaty-making. Mr. Taft does not intend, to agreo to the deletion of tho objectionable, paragraph, and the fate of the treaties hangs in the balance. THE SENATE AND TREATIES. WHAT MB, BRYCE SAID. Mr. Bryce, who has been British Ambassador at Washington since 1907, in 18SS wrote a book "Tho American Commonwealth," which has since been reissued many times, and has become, one of the standard authorities on Americun public affairs. Dealing with, the rolations.of the Senate to American foreign policy, Mr. Bryco said;—

"The Senate may and occasionally does amend a treaty, and return it amended to the President. There is nolliiiig to prevent it front proposing a draft treaty to him, or asking him to prepare one, but this is not the practice. For ratification a vote of two-thirds of the senators present is required. This gives great power to a vexatious minority, and increases the danger crjnccd by several incidents in the history of the Union, that the Senate or a faction in it may deal with foreign policy in a narrow, sectional, electioneering spirit. When the interest of any group of States is, or is supposed to be, against the niaking of a given treaty, that treaty may bo defeated by senators from those States. They tell the other senators of their own party that the prospects of the parly in the district of tho country whence they come will be improved if the treaty is rejected and a bold aggressive lino is taken in further negotiations. Some of these senators, who caro more for tho party than for justice or tho common interests of tho country, rally to the cry, and all the more gladly if their party is opposed to the President in power, bccauso in deleaving tho treaty they humiliate his administration. Thus the treaty may be rejected, and the settlement of tho question at issue indefinitely postponed. It may be thought that a. party acting in this vexatious way will suffer in public esteem. This happens in extreme cases; but tho public are usually so indifferent to foreign affairs, and bo little skilled in judging of thorn, that offences of tho kind described may bo committed with practical impunity. It is harder to fix responsibility on a body of senators than on the executive; .and whereas the executive has usually an interest in- settling diplomatic troubles, whoso continaanco it gnds annoying the Senate has no such interest, but is willing to keep thorn open so long as some political advantage can be sucked out of them. Tho habit of using foreign policy for electioneering purposes is not confined to America. '• Wo have seen it in England, we have seen it in France, we have seen it in even in monarchical Germany. But in America tho treaty-confirming power of tho Senate opens a particularly easy and tempting door to such practices."