Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-05-01
WORLD COURT PLAN
To WIN HAND|LY.
SAYS PAT HARRISON
BY SENATOR PAT HARRISON

BY SENATOR PAT HARRISON
WASHINGTON, D. c., April 28.-
They are off! The permanent in
ternational court of justice discus
sion is now in full swing. If it takes
those who are pressing 1t as long
to adopt it as it took them to get
away from it and reject it, we are
in for a siege.
Hoover has spoken; but about all
of the time he occupied in a dis
cussion of the subject was in try
ing to show it's remoteness to the
League of Nations. Hoover ought
to know, because he has been on
more sides of the League of Ma
tons controversy than any one else
in the whole country, not even ex-
cepting Lodge, Hughes and Hard
Ing.
Hughes has made his speech, and
it was a good one. 1t was a right
eous castigation Of war and an elo-
quent tribute to peace. He meas
ured up to the responsibility OF
opening for the administration this
new crusade. It was a speech that
could have been made with equal
propriety three years ago and with
much more telling effect.
II This permanent international
court idea ought to go big. The
Democrats generally are for it,
and Nick Butler says only two per
cent of the Republicans are against
| it. The president has at last hit
upon a popular idea, and if he will
| lead this new movement without
fear or turning" he will drive the
| opposition to cover.
'Best Minds" Are Slow
OF course, the "best minds have
! been incubating this idea long
time. They certainly have one
thing 'in their favor; no one can
charge them with moving too pre-
| cipitateIy. Sometimes it does arouse
our curiosity to know just why at
this time the subject should sup
plant all others and cause the pres
ident even to abandon the golf links
| to advocate it, Bears and criminals
when holly pursued always disgorge
in order to escape, but who ever
| heard of that being true of candl-
dates for office or of political
parties?
Administrations have been known
| to raise new issues in order to dis
tract the indignant public from old
| issues, but that can not be true OF
Hughes and Harding in pressing at
| this time our entrance into the per
manent international court. In the
first place, the election is not until
| next year, and the democrats cannot
make an issue of it.
What a strange situation is pre-
scented? Here is a plan with per
haps three exceptions supported
| intellectually by the democrats Of
the senate. With the exception Of
not more than seven, every repuh
lican in the new congress will sup
port it, yet the president is making
the most gorgeous and extensive
preparations in the history Of the
present occupant of the White
house to tour the country in order
to popularize the suggestion.
A Mighty Combat
There can be no doubt about its
ratification with a large number of
votes to spare, yet we are told that
the presidents trip to Florida was
cut short that he might return to
Washington and begin training for
this, the nightiest of the presidents
combats. The sharpshootSrs have
been heard, the skirmish has begun
and soon there will pull out Of
Washington the special train, bound
for the west carrying the president
and all presidential regalia, including
bodyguards, ice coolers, General
Sawyer, and an army of correspond
ents ready to catch and transmit
to waiting public the character Of
his receptions
Don Quixote astride his Rosinante
never made more extended prepare
tons and encountered stronger OPP
position, even in his mad rush to do
battle with the geese or to fight
windmills, than the president is
likely to encounter upon this, his
greatest crusade 1t takes big cour
age and strong nerve for the presi.
dent to undertake what he has set
upon. (
The question that has been upon
every lip is, What state will the
president first invade? Upon whom
will he choose to make war? Whom
will he first challenge to do battle
with him? We only know that ex.
perts have been working on a SUR
vey of the whole WESTERN situation,
and that senators have been ap.
preached to ascertain how many Of
the presidents speeches are needed
in CT
communications we have yet to
hear however, that any of those
who are opposed to the scheme have
either been approached or consulted
If there is any section Of the
country where the presidents per.
manept international court idea
needs strengthening, it is in the
east. Up in Massachusetts the
president might be able to whip
Lodge into line and arouse senti.
ment to his cause. The president,
however, may think that Lodge is
so dexterous and so accustomed to
change that the chairman of the
senate foreign relations committee
will naturally fall in line with his
policy. He generally does, and be.
cause Of his experience can do it
with grace and dignity.
The president and Lodge under
stand each other better than they
understand the country or the coun-
try understands either of them.
In Connecticut and New Hamp
shire, where Senators Brandegee and
Moses have many friends and a
large following. a great opportunity
is presented to the president for
real service. If he could include
in his itinerary those three states,
employing the power of his office