The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-03-27
COURT. FORCES NEW. |. l. I. SPLIT.
Harding May Be Compelled to Drop Proposal That United States Enter TribunaI-PoIicies of
 Hughes Feared

WASHINGTON, March 26.-Be- cause of opposition among powerful republicans. President Harding may shortly be compelled to drop his pro- posal to join the international court of justice.
 He had planned to make this the big feature of his western speaking tour next summer. But there are re- ports from St. Augustine that the court proposal has aroused serious opposition not only from such ire concilables as Hiram Johnson, but among the regular party leaders who fear that Harding will be taunted with trying to slip into the League of Nations through the back door.
 Some are even predicting that Senator Lodge will oppose the court plan. If this proves to be true, Hard ing's suggestion probably will never come out of the Senate foreign rela- tions committee alive. The irrecon- eilable republicans now dominate the committee and If Lodge decides to bury the court scheme, he will see that the three party vacancies on the committee are filled by senators pledged to vote with him.
 One reason for the hostility Is be- hind the court project. From the day Hughes became Secretary of State a large group of irreconcilable sena- tors have feared that sooner or later he would attempt to join the League of Nations by some ruse. That Is why they have viewed the court pro- posal with so much suspicion.
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 See Head-On smash.
 Many democrats believe that the proleague and anti-league republi- cans are moving toward head-on collision which will be carried into the pre-convention fight and upset the plans to renominate Harding. But if the danger is this great. Harding will try to prevent a break by drop ping his scheme, despite his recent declaration that it is inconceivabIe to him that the American people would not be strongly in favor of 1t.
 President 1arding's proposal for American representation in the inter- national court of justice has fur nished the makings of terrible row In his own party and given the IT, reconcilables and other republicans fine excuse for repudiating and at tacking him" the democratic na- tional committee asserted in a for mai statement.
 Tt is already predicted---and with a good deal of basis-that Senator Lodge will be among those who will ultimately vote to reject MT. Hard
  ticipation In the stabilization ot Europe.
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 shown Scanf Respect.
 The republican Senate entertains and has manifested but little respect for President Harding. Those repub. licans who served with him when he was senator have never expressed admiration for his profundity or dili- gence in the matter of this country's foreign relations. Many of them in cluding Lodge. Moses and Brandegee, have no very flattering opinion of NIT Harding's intellectual gifts. They have never ceased to be restive nnuer the leadership of former associate whom they ranked and treated as one of the Senate's mediocrities.
 President Harding has simply added to the cleavages in his party. both in Congress and outside of 1t. From the viewpoint of the republican politicians In Congress. Harding has raised a serious issue in his own party and increased the number or republicans who don't want him for a second term"