Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-10-21

Harding, If elected president. will
initiate without delay conference OF
the powers to devise a new world
peace plan Of which the international
court, worked out by Elihu Root and
a number of foreign jurists, will be
the central feature.
Whether this court for the pacific
settlement Of justiciable international
disputes shall function as an ad-
junct to a league Of nations is a
matter upon which there is less defi-
Anite understanding In republican
ranks. Some leaders are Of the
opinion that by next spring the
whole theory Of largue of nations
will be dead letter in Europe as well
as America.
BY far the greater number of the
men who are advising Senator Hard
ing believe, however, that there will
be. a radical revision Of the league
Of nations covenant by plenipoten-
tiaries Of the United States and the
other great powers, and that Amer
lea will join the association oe ma
tions, thus placed on a new basis,
and ratify the Versailles treaty as
revised.
This prospective revision of the
covenant would eliminate entirely
article X. and all other features en-
bodying the principle of an alliance
Of the powers to perpetuate th..
status quo Of territorial se....emelts
made at the Paris peace con! .r-ncc.
In addition it would elin.inA.. alt
provisions tending to create .uper
government impairing the SO, eieign :
ty and complete independence Of ac-
tion Of the United States and elimin :
ate all provisions under which the
United States might become involved
in European quarrels and Euro .,.a n
and Asiatic nations might clssn, the
right Of interference in the affairs III
the American continent.
What would be left is an ASA scls.
tionSof nations, the principal funcr,on
of which would be to create aud
maintain the international court &;
Justice and to promote investigation
and arbitration of International dis
putes.
( Former Senator Root. often ca,la
Asf
party and certainly one offthe .fors
most American statesmen. Is tsi9
!. spokesman OF the group which be-
lieves that Senator Harding, If elect
ed, will move to preserve the league
of nations after excision of thos-,
parts of the covenant which a ma
jority of the senate deemed destruc-
tive of nationalism., His great speech
last night, probably the clearest ex-
position Of the faults of the covenant
from the nationalist point of view yet
made, has revived speculation on the
possibility that Mr.. Root may be
Harding's secretary Of state. He
would be the logical choice to carry
out the plan he has outlined, even
If on account of his advanced age he
should retain the portfolio only long
enough to conduct the new negotia-
tions with the other powers.
Mr.. Root impressively corroborated
Senator Harding's assertion that
France and England are ready and
eager to revise the covenant to meet
republican objections. Senator
Hitchcock endeavors to establish
that if Senator Harding had received
an agent of the French government
he would have violated the Logan act
forbidding an American citizen to
deal with foreign plenipotentiary in
reference to controversy involving
the United States. Nobody. however
has accused Sens.or Hitchcock of
such violation when he received
British Ambassador Grey last year
and learned from him that Great
Britain had no objection to- most OF
the Lodge reservations.