Evening star., 1922-02-06
j. s. HAND FELT
IN WORLD COUR!
BY PAUL SCOTT MOwRER.

BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.
Ry Cable to The Star and Chicago Daily News.
THE HAGUE, Holland, February 4.
Despite the refusal of the United
States government to participate
American influence is strong in the
work of organizing the permanent
court of International Justice which is
proceeding rapidly preparatory to the
formal opening on February Is. In
the first place. the court ID now
meeting and will sit every year
henceforth, beginning June Is. in the
beautiful peace palace Quilt by An
drew Casnegie's millions.
In the second place, Elihu Root
played a large part In drafting the
courts statutes. In the third place.
John Bassett Moore. who was duly
judges by the assembly and council of
the league Of nations last September,
is now daily bringing his American
trained mind to hear on the problems
Of form. and procedure with which
the court is wrestling. Finally. It is
generally recognized that the idea Of
a permanent international court,
though not exclusively American, has
been in the past peculiarly dear to
the American people.
Expected to Lend Aid.
Hope. therefore, Is widely enter
tanned that the United States, al
though remaining aloof from the
league, will at least lend its support
to the court. Among jurists generally
there is regret that of the forty-five
states which ratified the protocol
only the following signed the op-
tional clause giving the court COM
pulsory jurisdiction of all their inter-
national disputes: Brazil. Bulgaria.
China. Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland.
Haiti. Holland. Liberia. Lithuania,
gal, San Salvador. Sweden. Switzer-
land and Uruguay.
Among the many kilograms Of con-
graduation and comment which are
being received hourly from all parts
Of the world one Of the most typical
is that of Christian l. Lange Of Nor
Union. "The opening of the perma-
nent court of international justice is
the greatest event in the judicial or
ganization Of the world since the es.
tablishment of the league Of nations
and ,is the first ripe fruit OF the
step. Henceforth all the worlds good
will should be mobilized to obtain
from the powers firm engagements to
submit all their disputes to the
court"
swayed By Opinion.
The statutes as originally drafted by
Elihu Root provided for obligatory
Jurisdiction. but the league assembly In
November, 1890. desiring to avoid the
possibility Of being criticised as q SUPER
state, eliminated this clause. The pres
ent sentiment toward the court Of such
men as Judge Moore is, therefore, that,
like its predecessor. the so-called Hague
tribunal, 1T will succeed or fail In the
aim Of bettering international relations
and reducing the chances Of war exactly
as the public opinion Of the world sup
ports or neglects it. All authorities
agree that from a strictly legal stand
point this court represents a great ad-
vance over anything the world has seen
heretofore. Knut H. l. Hammersktold
of Sweden. who has just been elected
permanent registrar Of the COURT, proba-
bly, expressed sound and moderate
opinion when he said:
ITO create little by little. by prac-
tical and successive solutions q con-
science Of justice within the community
of nations and to make that community
love the conception Of justice, to compel
nations to feel and appreciate the
invaluable blessings Of law-that is
sharing the thoughtless enthusiasm of
some and the unwarrantable skepticism
Of others may confidently expect from
this new institution"
As constituted, the court will act
as judicial adviser to the council of
the league, will hear all cases which
the states may desire to submit and,
in addition, will exercise obligatory
Jurisdiction in connection with four
teen existing treaties and, conven-
tions, notably those concerning the
protection Of minorities. the interna-
tional labor organizations, the tele-
phone and telegraph communications
between Czechoslovakia and Austria
under the treaty of st. German, the
regulation Of aerial navigation under
the Paris convention Of October.
iona international transit conventions
Danube basis. Probably one Of the
first duties Of the court will be to
decide whether the international
lsbor agreement applies to agricul-
tural as well as industrial workers.
The Dutch people are delighted
with the election OF DR.. B. 7. G. Loder
Of the Netherlands supreme court AZ
president Of the court. They con-
slider this another signal recognition
of the pacifying and civiltzing mis-
sion Of the country OF Hugo Grotius,
the father of International law.
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