Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-07-23
ND SLIGHT MEANT
TO LEAGUE BY j. s.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
UcascG Wire Service to The Journal.
lCOnNririt. 1927


WASHINGTON, July 21.-The
United States government is not in
tentionally ignoring communications
from h League of Nations and has
not failed to note the invitation to
this government to become a mem
Der of the world court of inter-
national justice created by the league.
This attitude was made known to-
day at the department Of state to Off
set published stories giving the i'm
| preston that the United States was
somehow offending the League of Ma
tions by refusing to deal with its let
| ters and communications. In the
| first place, the permanent secretary
of the league has been sending out
| printed circulars to the various gov
ernments of the world and it was but
natural that one of the government
bureaus filed the circulars without
regarding them in the same light as
| formal communications.
| But what the secretary of the
League of Nations hasn't evidently
taken into consideration is that while
all communications are duly received
| less to deal with the league because
of the expressed desire Of the presi-
| dent of the United States that Amer
| lea stay out of the league and the
evident concurrence of the senate in
that viewpoint. Amba ssador Harvey
went a step further in his speech in
London by saying the nited States
| wouldn't even deal directly or indi-
| rectly with any committee or crea-
ture of the League of Nations and
| that's why both the white house and
department of state would be en-
| barrassed in dealing with the world
court. for it would mean a repudia-
| ton of bassador Harvey's express
sion of American foreign policy.
Senate Must Ratify
Thus far the executive branch of
the United States government has
not acted on the invitation to become
member of the world court. That
| invitation must be submitted to the
senate to be ratified, as it is in the
nature of a protocol. State depart
ment officials decline to say whether
| 1T will be sent to the senate.
Inasmuch as the Versailles treaty
| hasn't been ratified, and no substi-
tute policy as yet has been made pub
llc and since President Harding and
Senator Lodge have said in their
speeches the league was dead" it is
difficult to accept any invitation from
|
| tional instrumentalities created by
it. Elihu Root took part in franz
ing the world court and has been
asked to help name judges for the
court, but the government here Off
cially has no connection even with
that feature of the thing as it con-
siders Mr.. Roots relationship to the
world court simply a personal affair.
| After the court is once established,
however, it will be possible for ma
| tions which are not members of the
| League Of Nations to become identi-
its jurisdiction for as much or as
little as is considered desirable by
| the individual nation.
Party Split
While it is true that the world
court was created by the League of
Nations. and that the method of pro
viding judges depends upon the
council of the league, the court when
once established, will operate as an
Independent judicial body, having no
relationship whatsoever to interna-
| tional politics. So some day when
| the senate disposes of our political
relationships with Germany and the
ecutive branch of our government
| may submit to the senate protocol
covering membership in a world
court.
But there too, it cannot be said
that any decision has been reached
for one element in the Republican
party including President Harding
and Senator Lodge and the irrecon-
cilables have announced that the
league was dead while another group
considers the league alive.
In the midst of that doubt on this
side of the Atlantic the secretary of
| the Leagueof Nations will have to be
patient and not be offended if he
doesn't get acceptance to the invi-
tations being sent to our government
to participate in various international
conferences being conducted by the
| league