Evening star., 1923-04-18
Politics at Large
BY n. o. MESSENGER.


possible split in the republican party
over President Harding's proposal
that the United States join the world
court, such as Senator Watson and a
few other republicans gloomily fore
cast. Some other republicans do not
share Senator Watson's forebodings
and think the democrats are counting
their chickens before they are hatch
ed, to use simile appropriate to the
spring season.
If this threatened split should
come" they ask. where would the
chips fy?" In other words. where
would the split-off section 60? 1t
could not attach itself to the demo-
cratic party because that fs pro-
league of nations. 1t could not form
a separate party because there would
not be enough OF them. So what
would be the use of splitting. them
* * X
Taken as a cold question OF politics
and considered as q vote-gettins
proposition, IL upon no other ground,
the belief is strong among many re-
publicans that the plan which is
being supported by the President,
Secretary Hughes and Secretary
sands of republican voters who are
feeling the pressure OF the reiterated
charges of aloofness of the United
States from peace efforts made by
democrats of distinction and who
would be glad to see this country
show that the charge Is overdrawn.
Especially do they feel this way
after il has been thoroughly explain
ed that participation by this country
in the world court as proposed and
with the limitations possible to be
put on by the Senate does not weak
en- the liked policy of the admins
tration and the Congress to keep out
of foreign entanglements.
The democratic national manage
ment processes to see one possible
advantage accruing to the democrats
from the friction among the republi-
can senators over the world court
plan. The democratic national COM
mittee in its latest statement refer
ring to the republican irreconcilable
senators, said:
Under the rules Of the Senate,
these irreconcilables can thwart the
President almost indefinitely, just as
they did when Mr.. Harding was one
of their number in 1919 during the
second Wilson administration. Here
then would be the spectacle of a
republican President being fouted
and defed by senators of his own
party and depending on his political
opponents for the success OF his pro-
Gram-and all this, too. while he was
striving for a denomination and urg-
ing the virtues Of his foreign policies
as reasons why he should be contin-
ued in Office.
MANY republicans" this democratic
statement goes on to say. "foresee that
the moral Of this situation would be
that there would not be much pubic
advantage IN re-clecting republican
President who could not command the
good will or collaboration of republican
senator's and representatives and who
had to reply upon democrats to give
force and effect TO his major foreign
policies. There will be little chance
accord with the republican Presi-
dent but there will be a fine oppor-
tunity to get a democratic President
and Senate that will work together
on both domestic and international
programs"
There are indications of a possible
division of opinion among democratic
senators as we'll as republican sena-
tors over the world court plan, II
former President Wilson's followers
in that body support the position he
has taken against q partial partici-
patton IN the world court. The Asso-
ciated PTess day or two ago carried
extracts from a copyrighted dispatch
In the Philadelphia Public Ledger
quoting from a letter Mr.. Wilson is
said to have written to Representa-
Of u nrot ,n1y oh wv, ~
the democratic congressional cam
paign eommittee- In that letter Mr..
Wilson is quoted as writing that he
approves not of the Conditional" but
Of the unconditional adhesion of the
United States to the world court set
up under the league OF nations
though he would go further and have
the United States become a member
of the league of nations, sharing with
the other members the full RESPONSE
bilities which its covenant involves.
This would seem to be by way OF
forecasting that there may be demo
cratic ''irreconcilables" in the Senate
as we'll as republicans bearing that
ellation-democrats who may be
unreconciled to anything short of un-
qualified acceptance of the original
covenant of the league of nations
Mr.. Wilson's letter. however, may be
construed as indicating that he would
be agreeable. as an initial step. as it
were. to unconditional adherence to
the world court.
President Harding did not propose
unconditional adherence. but ex-
plicitly stated that it should be with
such notifications as the Senate
might see tit to propose. The Presi-
dent has all along insisted and re-
iterated that going into the court
would not be going into the league
Of nations and that the step would
have no relation to the league.
Democrats are still parleying among
themselves as to what will and will
not be the issues of the 1924 cam
paign. Some insist that no power on
earth can keep the league of nations
from becoming one of the leading if
not the principal issue next year.
Others contend that the tariff fur
nishes the most promising vote-get-
ting issue. while still others contend
that reduced taxation is the thing.
The discussion is expected to con-
tinue until the democratic national
convention meets early in the sum-
mer of 1924. Then a group OF elder
statesmen of the party. one chosen
the committee on resolutions, will
meet in an anteroom and proceed to
draw up the platform announcing the
cardinal principles upon which the
campaign will be waged. And mean
time a smaller group Of the main
committee will hold some executive
sessions in private room in a hotel
and decide what the main committee
shall promuIgate.
= x X Z:
AS heretofore stated in this column,
many republican leaders feel that re-
publican fortunes in the elections of
November, 1924, will be affected by
the state of prosperity and industry
at that time. All prospects look
promising now for prosperity being
at tho peak just about that time, but
these repuhlicans realize that q lot of