The Monmouth inquirer., 1923-10-18
COOLIDGE BANS y.
WORLD COURT
Fears Fight in Senate for Hard
ing's Policy Would Make Issue
Football in Election.
AWAITS PR0PITIOUS MOMENT
President Aims to Eliminate Party
Lines for PIan-Won't Permit Po-
litical Prejudice to Impair Prof.
Get for Peace.

NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Coolidge is
convinced that bitter animosities
growing out of the League of Nations
fight make it futile for American par
ticipation in the world court.
Personally Mr.. Coolidge is just as
strongly in favor of the idea of this
government helping to make the
world court a success as ever, but he
realizes, his close friends point out,
that to make a fight for the court in
the present Senate would be merely
to tilt at windmills, which would do
the court no good, and might result
in doing a great deal of injury in the
elections next year, not only to the
national ticket but to the Republican
tickets in the various states.
Mr.. Coolidge sympathized deeply
with the almost religious fervor with
which President Harding fought for
the world court idea in his speeches
during his last trip. The President
personally would be much better
pleased if entire success had attended
Mr., Harding's efforts. He has no
yearning, however, to get into a dis
cussion which might be absolutely
proitless.
There is a reservation, however, to
any statement that can be made about
the possibilities of action by the Presi-
dent with regard to the court. It is
that, personally approving the idea
and believing that it might easily
mark a long step toward world peace,
Mr.. Coolidge will watch carefully for
any situation which may arise for the
opportunity of making real progress.
For instance if time goes by without
further bitterness being engendered,
Mr.. Coolidge, on some occasion which
he may deem propitious may send for
some of the Democratic leaders to dis
W. the possibility of conducting a
consideration by the Senate of the
world court with all party lines elimi-
mated from the controversy.
Mr.. Coolidge is emphatic in his con-
versations with friends as to the un-
d~esirability of such an issue as the
world court being made a political
football. He regards it as a problem
to be settled by Americans without
partisan differences, and without at
tempts to take advantage of preJu-
dlces for political advantage.
If this should prove practicable at
any stage Mr.. Coolidge will embrace
the opportunity gladly. If he sees
merely a r%eopening of the old world
court-which so far as politics is con-
cerned seems identical with the
League of Nations fight-Mr. Coolidge
will again bide his time.
Several prominent Republican lead
ers are cognizant Of this attitude OF
the President, and, while not talking
for publication at this stage, are not
pleased with it from a purely partisan
standpoint. What they really want is
to see the Democratic party committed
to the old Wilson principles at its con-
vention next year, believing, as they
do, that this would mean an easy vic
tory for the Republicans. Even some
who personally favor the world court
idea-if by some means it could be
separated from the League of Nations,
a reservation they nearly always add
are 10th to pass up what they regard
as a golden opportunity for the party.
Woodrow Wilson is the center Of all
such calculations. Most Republicans
and many Democrats expect Mr.. Will
son to do his utmost to rouse his adj
mirers, who compose a very large per-
centage of the Democratic party, to in
sist upon the party adhering to his
policies.
Mr.. Wilson's recent move in attack
ing Senator Shields, of Tennessee, who
after a long period of doubt joined the
i~rreconcilable camp on the league
fight, and who is now coming up for
election, shows that he has not weak
ened in his desire to defeat every mar
who opposed him on that fight.