The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-22
BID OF LEAGUE
TO JOIN WORLD
COURT ON FILE
Policy of u. S. at Pres
emf Is Against Ac-
cePfdnce.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial to The Argus.)

ed States government is not inten-
tlonally ignoring communications
from the League of Nations and
has not failed to note the invitation
to this government to become a
member OF the world court of in
ternational justice created by the
league.
This attitude was made known
today at the department of state tc
onset published stories giving the
impression that the United States
was somehow offending the League
of Nations by refusing to deal with
its letters and communications.
In the first place, the permanent
secretary of the league has been
sending out printed circulars to the
various governments 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 COM
munications
But what the secretary of the
League of Nations hasn't evidently
taken into consideration is that
while all communications are duly
received and filed Secretary Hughes
is powerless to deal with the league
because of the expressed desire of
the president of the United States
that America stay out of the league
and the evident concurrence of the
senate in that viewpoint Ambas-
sador Harvey went step further
in his speech in London by saying
the United States wouldn't even
deal directly or indirectly with any
committee or creature of the
League of Nations, and that's why
both the White house and depart
ment of state would be embarrass-
ed in dealing with the world court,
for it would mean reputation of
Ambassador Harvey's expression of
American foreign policy.
Has Failed to Act.
Thus fas the executive branch OF
the United States government has
not acted on the invitation to be-
come a member of the world court.
That invitation must be submitted
to the senate to be ratified, as 1t IS.
in the nature of a protocol. State
department officials decline to say
whether it will be sent to the SEN
ate. Inasmuch as the Versailles
treaty hasn't been ratified and no
substitute policy has as yet been
made public, and since President
Harding and Senator Lodge have
said in their speeches the league
was dead it is difficult to accept
any invitation from the league to
join any of the international in
strumentalities created by it. Elihu
Root took part in framing the
world court and has been asked to
help name judges for the court, but
the government here officially has
no connection even with that feat
ure of the thing. as it considers Mr..
Roots relationship to the world
court simply 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
identified with the world court. ac-
cepting its Jurisdiction for as much
or as little as is considered desir-
able by the individual nation
May Go TO Senate.
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 international politics. So some
day when the senate disposes OF
our political relationships with
Germany and the Versailles treaty
provisions, the executive branch OF
our government may submit to the
senate a protocol covering mem
bership in a world court But there,
too, il cannot be said that any de-
cision has been reached for one
in the Republican party,
including President Harding and
Senator Lodge and the irreconcila-
bles, 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 League of Nations will have
to be patient and not be offended
il he doesn't get any acceptances
to the invitations being sent to our
to participate in var
ious international conferences be-
ing conducted by the league.