Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-31
Plan to Insure Worlds
Peace Halted BIZ War


with the representation that each nation
should have In the great court The confer.
ence was approaching an amicable settle
ment of this detail when a brilliant repre-
sentative Of Central American country
Jealous lest that nation should lose some
degree OF precedence, started a fight, the
point or which was the demand that the
smallest nations should have equal repre-
sentation with the greatest. Upon this point
The conference found that It could not agree
and 1t adjourned without having determined
he matter Of proportionate representation.
With such an institution established and
supported by the public opinion of the
world, 1t would have been difficult for any
nation In the world to have refused to
refer its claims to judicial settlement So
might the great war have been prevented
However. the court was not set up The
members of the American delegation re-
turned to their homes, proud Of the progress,
that had been made toward judicial settle.
ment OF International disputes, but cha
grined that the court should have failed
of being actually organized because of
disagreement over minor detail.
Five years ago l talked with Genera,
Horace Porter. who was a member of the
delegation. He said then that the world
had all but established means of settling
Its difhcuties but did not know it, The
public, as a whole. never realized what
had been accomplished. Those American
experts, who were about the only people
who knew the value of the thing that had
been done strove vainly to get some further
action In the premises. Nobody paid any
attention. Years passed and the time for
the next Hague conference approached II
was scheduled for 1915 Then the work
should be done In the meantime they saw
war clouds gathering and feared that a
great calamity would break before the next
conference could take action
1t was in January, 1914, that James
Brown Scott took the bull by the horns
ana urged that something be done irnme-
diately toward making this court a reality
According to the provisions of the agree
ment OF the Second Hague Conference, IL
was not imperative that all the nations
represented should be parties to the ac-
tions that established the world court ANY
group of nations might agree among them
selves that the difficulties arising between
them should be referred TO a court They
might establish court for that purpose.
A small group might father the court and
might later invite other nations to become
parties TO IT,
Here was possibility OF action Why
should not selected group of nations that
had agreed to the court at The Hague I'M
mediately set II up? The international
specialists, after their six years of waiting,
asked the American State Department If
this proposal might not be put to certain
nations. The State Department gave its
assent.
American international experts. headed
by James Brown Scott, went to Europe.
The plan was that Holland should be
asked to make the proposal to eight ma
tions-Great Britain. France, Italy, Rus
sia, Austria, Germany, Japan and the
United States Holland agreed. The invi-
tations were issued to these nations to enter
the group that would make the court
reality. Those invitations were being con-
sidered on August /, 1914 when Europe
went to pieces like a clay pigeon in the air.
Since the war broke the world has been
forced to look the situation in the face and
come to a realization that nations 60 to
war because there is no other method of
settling their disputes. The plans of ma
tions are that after the war there shall
be an agency to coordinate them and to
settle In accordance with justice the diff
ferences between them World public opinion
has fairly we'll crystallized around a great
court on which all have representation and
an international legislative body to make
laws for that court. The first is a piece
Of machinery that may well be modelled on
the Supreme Court Of the United States. The
second will probably be but an enlarged
Hague conference with increased powers
30 far there is but one point Of difference
between students OF the situation There is
one group which holds that an armed force
must be put back Of this Suprmee Court of
the world. and that this international force
must see to II that all nations send their
troubles In for judicial settlement The
othor faction holds that there will be no
mead Of an armed force, as the public
eC1GfCn e the world VIII - epflcisnt 10
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