OCR Text |
Show TPEJTIE5 ARE Conventions Ratified by the Senate by Overwhelming Majority Without Being Be-ing Changed. PRESIDENT FREE TO CARRY OUT POLICY Fight for Free Tolls Will Go On; Treaty With Nicaragua to Be Taken Up in the Near Future. WASHINGTON, Feb. 21. General arbitration treaties ratified by tho senate sen-ate toda3- renewed for five years agreements agree-ments with Great Britain, Japan, Italy, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Portugal and Switzerland and marked tho first step in tho policy of President Wilson to place tho United States in a more advantageous ad-vantageous position in the world of nations. na-tions. Opponents of tho treaties made no effort ef-fort to delay tho votes. The treaties, briefly, provide for reference ref-erence to The Hague tribunal of legal differences, and questions relating to tho interpretation, of other existing treaties which cannot bo settled .by diploma di-ploma cy. Special Agreement. No matter involving the vital interests, inter-ests, dependence or honor of tho contracting con-tracting powers is included in the scopo of these treaties, and all disputes dis-putes involving the interests of third parties also are excluded. Tho method of procedure toward arbitration fixed by tho troatios provides that a Bpecial agreoment shall be drawn up, setting out tho details of tho dispute and do-fining do-fining its issues and tho scopo of consideration con-sideration to be grantod to tho arbitrators. arbi-trators. Such agreements must bo signed by tho president and ratifiod by tho sonato before tho question can bo submitted at The Haguo. Matters still before the sonate foreign for-eign relations committeo nTo the Panama Pan-ama tolls question, tho ponding treaty with Nicaragua, and tho treaty with Colombia Co-lombia growing out of tho surrondor of tho Panama strip. Reports on these, it is understood, will bo laid beforo the senato in tho near future. Votes Not Significant. Although tho majority for the ratification ratifica-tion of the treaties was overwhelming, and the amendment to exempt by more than a two-thirds vote, senators who urge repeal of tho free tolls provision insist that those votes aro not significant signifi-cant of the attitude of the sonato on tho tolls issue. Senator O '"Gorman said tonight to-night ho did not regard the ratification action as a test, lie is determined to continuo tho fight for froo tolls. The sonate is looking to tho president for some initiative action in tho tolls matter, and several senates Baid today that tho issuo would bo mado a matter of party caucus. That some Democrats would "refuse to eutor such a caucus has been reported for several days. The treaty with Nicarngua, which has been before tho sonato for sovon months, is. oxpectod to bo taken up for furthor consideration by tho foreign relations oommitteo in tho near future. It provides for the purcnaso of a perpetual per-petual option on tho Nicaraguan canal routo and of naval Btation rights on the ahoros of tho gulf of Fonseca for $3,000,000. Piatt Amendment. It also proposes to extond the chief features ot tho Piatt amendment, which would give this country control over tho customs of Nicaragua. This fca-turo fca-turo of tho treaty has aroused opposition opposi-tion among some members of tho committee.' com-mittee.' Thoy believe that such a provision pro-vision is too far-reaching. Vigorous opposition to the treaty has devolopod also in Oentrnl Amorica, and members of congress aro in ro-ceipt ro-ceipt of a protest from Predorico Fo-nado, Fo-nado, chairman of tho Salvadoran committee- of tho national Central Amoricnn association. Senor Penado says;. 'I am merely ropoatmg whnt is generally gen-erally couccdod throughout Contra! America when I, say thnt tho proposod treaty is tho product of a frame-up bo-tweeu bo-tweeu 'dollar diplomacy' and Nicaraguan Nicara-guan traitors.. Tho present Nicaraguan government is but a satrapy of native hirelings, set up by tho scandalous intrigues in-trigues of tho previous state dopnrt-moiit, dopnrt-moiit, more for tho purpose of turning the country ovor to Wall street than for getting a bargain in the canal rights." s |