The Lehi sun. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1913-1949, 1920-09-16
LEAGUE TRIBUNAL
IS GIVEN APPROVAL
WORLD COURT OF JUSTICE PLAN
MADE PUBLIC AT LEAGUE
HEADQUARTERS.
Projects Failure Would Be Regarded
as international Misfortune, in opin-
ion Of Council; Governments Asked
to Express Individual Views.

London,-The headquarters of the
league of nations on September II
made public the text OF the project
for a permanent court of international
Justice as adopted by The Hague COM
mittee of justice, of which Ellhu Root
was a member, together with letter
from the council of the league TO all
governments which have entered the
league.
The letter says: "The council do
not propose TO express any opinion on
the merits OF the scheme until they
have had a full opportunity of consid-
erlng it,"
1t states, however, that the project
was prepared by most competent tri-
3 bunal representing widely different
national points of view, and adds:
n "rhe council would regard as ire
concilable difference of opinion on the
merits Of the scheme as an interna-
fional misfortune of the gravest kind.
IL would mean that the league was
publicly compelled to admit Its inca
pacity 60 carry out one of the most
important of the tasks which II was
Invited to perform. The failure would
be great and probably irreparable; for,
~ agreement proves impossible under
circumstances apparently so favor
able 1t Is hard to see how and when
The task of securing II will be sue
cessfully resumed"
viii Submit Proposals.
The council states It will later
submit It's recommendations to the
assembly OF the league of nations.
The draft of the proposed world
court given out consists of sixty
two artivles, divided into three chap
tefs on organization, competence of
court and procedure. A preamble
states the general purposes of the
court as follows:
"a permanent court of information
al Justice, to which all parties shall
have direct access, is hereby estab-
iIshed, In accordance with article
fourteen of the covenant of the league
of nations. This court shall be, In ad-
dIfion to the court of arbitration or
ganized by The Hague convention OF
1880 and 1907, and 10 the special tri-
bunals of arbitration to which states
nre always at liberty to submit their
dIgputes for settlement"
.e Membership of Court.
articles two and three give the
membership OF the court as follows:
The permanent court of interna
tional justice shall be composed of a
body of independent judges, elected
regardless of their nationality from
amongst persons Of high moral char
acter who possess the qualifications
required in their respective countries,
for appointment to the highest judicial
offices, or are jurisconsults of recog-
nised competence I'm international
law.
"The court shall consist of fifteen
members: Eleven judges and four
deputy judges. The number of judges
and deputy judges may be hereafter
Increased by the assemblage upon the
proposal OF the council of the league
OF nations, to total of fifteen judges
and six deputy judges"
u" ne HluilneT OI CHOOSlnS liit JuuBtS
BY the different national groups Is
provided. The members of the court
are elected for nine years. The pres
l0ent and vice president of the court
serve for three years. The seat of
the court Is established at The Hague,
a session shall be held each year be-
ginning June 10, and an extraordinary
session may be called whenever nee
oaaary by the president of the court,
who must reside at The Hague.
The questions which the court Is
competent TO determine between
members of the league are given as
follows: The Interpretation OF n
treaty. Any question of international
law. The existence of any fact which
" Established, would constitute a
breach of an international obligation
The nature or extent of PREPARATION to
be made for the breach of an interna-
tlonal obligation, The interpre-
tatloh of a sentence passed by the
court