Evening star., 1923-01-21

White House. The Taft appointments
TO the high court were:
Chief Justice White.
Charles Evans Hughes
Horace H. Lurton.
Joseph r. Lamar.
Willis Van Devanter
Mahlon Pitney.
OF these, only Justice Van Devanter
remains on the bench. Mr.. Hughes
Of course, is Secretary of State
Justice Pitney retired on the first OF
the year through a special act OF
Congress. Justices White, Lamar and
Lurton have passed on.
There are now on the bench one
Mckinley appointee. Mr.. Justice Nc
kenna; one Roosevelt appointee, Mr.
Justice Holmes; one Taft appointee
Mr.. Justice Van Devanter; two Wilson
appointees, Justices McReynolds and
Brandeis; three Harding appointees.
Mr. Chief Justice Taft and Justices
George Sutherland and Pierce Butler
There exists also one vacancy, which
Mr.. Harding just now is endeavorine
TO I'LL without invoking the wrath Of
the interests" the farm bloc, the
progressives, the old guard, and all
the other varieties OF representative
and senator.
The Supreme Court. which, during
the Taft regime in the White House.
took on quite a southern tinge. seems
at the present moment to be going
west. Justice McKenna halls from
California. Justice Sutherland from
Utah. Justice Van Devanter from
Wyoming and Justice Butler froni
Minnesota. The east claims but two
justices in Messrs. Holmes and
Brandeis, and both are from Massa-
chusetts. Mr.. Taft Of Ohio. represent
the middle west, and Justice Nc
Reynolds Of Tennessee, the south
X n Y
THE life Of the diplomatist is
l. hard one. He, above all men, must
always know the difference between
be perfectly all right and absolutely
bombproof. whereas dunn may lead t.
dire disaster.
And SO, when a diplomatic representa-
tive of great country has merely =
memorandum in his system, he should
by no means give any one the I'M
preston that he has a "plan." Els
there will be international compiica
tions, followed by cabled explanations.
official statements and all the what
nots Of modern diplomatic machinery.
Likewise. when a great nation like
the United States has merely a "sug
gestion" to make to Europe, It is en-
tirely wrong for another great nation
ike France, for instance. tc gather the
impression that the Suggestion" is q
proposition"
Washington has been struggling witt
the verbal nuances during the last
week. and number OF incidents wifi
which the public is more or less aware
the diplomat or State Department Off
Ger must select his language. Not only
must words be chosen for their exact
meeting, in English, for instance, but
translatability. At one time 10 was sup
posed that real diplomacy thrived upon
words of a double meaning, but that
day is gone.
In writing the treaty of Versailles the
authors realized that one-language
treaty might lead to embarrassing dis
putes, and so the treaty was written
both in English and in French. Despite
this precaution dangerous ambiguity
has been found in the treaty in onn
of its most important clauses, and Eu-
rope is torn today over the question as
to whether or not France has the right
to act alone against Germany. or
course, France may have chosen to act
right or not. but she bases her action
on the parag graph which says that aft
er d default by Germany, the allied and
associated powers shall have the right
to infiict various financial prohibitions
and reprisals. and to take 'in general
governments may determine to be nee
essary in the circumstances"
The French claim that the word ''re-
spective" gave each ally the right to
determine its own action in the circum-
stances The Germans say that the
word governments" implies that joint
action would be necessary. Probably
the trainers of the treaty meant such
other measures as the respective gov
ernments may jointly determine to be
necessary" but the very importan-
word "jointly" is not there. Hence the
prospect of an age-long discussion as
to whether or not the treaty has been
violated and annulled. as Germany
claims it has and France claims Il
hasn't