The Olney–Pauncefote Treaty of 1897 was a proposed treaty between the United States and Britain in 1897 that would have required arbitration of major disputes. The treaty was rejected by the US Senate and never went into effect. The

Venezuelan crisis of 1895 The Venezuelan crisis of 1895 occurred over Venezuela's longstanding dispute with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland about the territory of Essequibo and Guayana Esequiba, which Britain claimed as part of British Guiana and Venezuel ...

was peacefully resolved through arbitration. Both nations realized that a mechanism was desirable to avoid possible future conflicts. In January 1897, US Secretary of State Richard Olney negotiated an arbitration treaty with the British diplomat Julian Pauncefote. US President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

and his successor

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

both supported the treaty, as did most opinion leaders, academics, and leading newspapers. In Britain, it was promoted by pacifist Liberal MP

Randal Cremer Sir William Randal Cremer (18 March 1828 – 22 July 1908) usually known by his middle name "Randal", was a British Liberal Member of Parliament, a pacifist, and a leading advocate for international arbitration. He was awarded the Nobel Peace P ...

; the main opposition came from Irish-Americans, who held a very negative view of Britain because of its treatment of Ireland. The US Senate, however, passed a series of amendments that exempted important issues from any sort of arbitration. Any issue that was not exempted would need a two-thirds vote of the Senate before arbitration could begin. Virtually nothing was left of the original proposal, and in May 1897, the Senate voted 43 in favor to 26 opposed, three votes short of the two-thirds majority needed. The Senate was jealous of its control over treaties and was susceptible to a certain deep-rooted Anglophobia.

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