Career of a Treaty

It is the King-Emperor, not the British Parliament, who ratifies treaties. Last week the House of Commons and later the House of Lords debated not the London Naval Treaty but a bill entitled: The London Naval Treaty Bill 1930. Such a bill is called an "enabling act," enables His Majesty's Government to enforce upon Britons --a treaty signed by George V.* It is considered especially nice--a sort of beau geste toward His Majesty--if the enabling act passes its second and third (final) readings not by formal votes but by acclaim. To win this acclaim James Ramsay MacDonald and leading Labor orators sweated last week and swinked.

"Pacifist Party!" The act had passed first reading by a comfortable majority. But now came a Labor surprise attack from one of Scot MacDonald's own henchmen, ebullient Commander Joseph Montague Kenworthy.

"Somebody has got to make a protest," he cried, and several Laborite back benches cheered. "After all we are a Pacifist party!" Passionately objecting to Britain's -L-51,739,000 ($251,457,540) appropriation for new naval construction this year, Commander Kenworthy asked the Government to call another naval conference at once and suspend all building ad interim. "Otherwise we might as well say goodbye to the whole movement for Peace and Disarmament!"

Soon this inconvenient idea had been talked down, but later, just as the Act was about to pass second reading who should walk into the House, fresh and elated from a splendid dinner, but the Rt. Hon. Winston ("Winnie") Churchill, big and sportive as a dancing bear,' clad in evening clothes of sleekest cut--and obviously spoiling for a Parliamentary fight.

"Never Since Charles II!" What did it matter that "Winnie" is only No. 2 man in the Conservative Party? Or that No. i Man Stanley Baldwin had decided not to oppose passage of the Act by acclaim? Mr. Churchill is the grandson of a duke (Marlborough) with the fighting instincts of a Grand Mogul or a rat-hunting terrier. Singlehanded, while Conservative whips treated him to blackest looks, Well-dined "Winnie" flayed the Treaty, repeated thunderously his now famed anti-Treaty slogan:

"Never since the reign of Charles II [1660-85] have we been rendered so dependent on the good will of foreign nations!"

After some 30 minutes of this. Bruin Churchill gradually realized that he was merely pawing the air. When his elation began to wear off he sat down sulkily, stalked a few minutes later from the House. Other debaters were merely perfunctory. In the nicest sort of British way, without a division, the Act passed second reading in the Commons by acclaim, next night was acclaimed through third reading, went to the House of Lords.*

There is no doubt that George V will sign the Treaty, and the House of Lords made no trouble last week about passing the Act through first reading.

Tokyo Expects. In Japan it is the Sublime Emperor, 124th descendant of the Sun Goddess, who ratifies treaties. The Japanese Parliament has no say at all. In the face of concentrated, long-standing opposition by Japanese Navymen (TIME, June 2 et seq.), grizzled Prime Minister "Shishi" ("The Lion"; Hamaguchi journeyed last week to the Imperial summer residence at Hayama and, prostrate before the "Son of Heaven," presented Japan's copies of the Treaty for signature.

Not the least in a hurry, His Majesty sent a courier all the way back to Tokyo to ask the elders of his Privy Council for their advice. They were expected to advise ratification. In the main Japanese public opinion (as distinguished from Navy opinion) has favored the Treaty from the first. Said the second largest newspaper in Japan, Osaka's Mainichi Shimbun, commenting on the U. S. Senate's ratification of the Treaty (TIME, July 28): "Once again the U. S. has taken the lead in the international peace movement. . . . Thanks to the Senate's bold initiative, the ratification of the Treaty by the other signatory powers will be greatly speeded up. There has been a certain hesitation in most nations to commit themselves to treaty adherence before others had made their attitude clear. We praise the profound wisdom of the American Senate. Our faith in the Treaty has never wavered."

*Similarly. the U. S. President ratifies, by authority of the U. S. Senate.

*Every bill is first voted upon by a simple shout of "ayes" and "noes." Only in case the Speaker's decision on this vote is challenged does "division" occur. There is a great ringing of division bells for two minutes. Members come scrambling in from wherever they happen to have been--perhaps eating strawberries & cream on the Parliamentary terrace facing the Thames.

The question or bill is then put a second time. Again members shout "ayes" and "noes." Again the Speaker announces his decision. Only if he is challenged a second time does division proper occur.

Six minutes after the question was originally put all doors are locked, except those leading into the West ("ayes") Lobby and the East ("noes") Lobby. The Speaker then directs the members to "divide." Up they get, out they walk into the lobbies of their choice. As they do so Division Clerks record their names and these are counted by four Tellers whom the Speaker has previously appointed and who report to him. Members who are present but wish to abstain, merely remain in their seats. Finally the members re-enter the House and the Speaker tells them what the tellers have told him.

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