Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-04-16
PRESIDENT THROWS
DOWN GAUNTLET
Ready to Fight G. O. P. Lead
erS Opposing World
Court.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

President Harding has thrown down
the gauntlet to republican leaders on
the world court proposition. He is
going through with it at all costs,
even at the risk of embatt1ed oppo-
sition within his partys ranks. Re-
publican spokes who foreshadow
a serious rift in the G. Q. p. if the
world court program is maintained
have learned that such an argument
makes no appeal to Mr.. Harding. He
is convinced the country can be won
for the world court; insists it is con-
sistent republican doctrine. and will
espouse it to the bitter end. regard
less of consequences.
These statements can be made on
unimpeachable authority. The Presi-
dent is back from Florida in a fight
ing mood. In a very real sense he
is trained physically and spiritually
for a contest. He is described as
having arrived at the Grover Cleve-
land temper under something of the
provocation that impelled that demo-
cratic President to stiffen his back
bone on a critical occasion. The
air of conflict Mr.. Harding shifts has
whetted rather than diminished his
determination to advocate American
entry into the international tribunal
He is not frightened in the slightest
degree by the admonitions of repub-
! lican senator's like Jim" Watson
that the blood lationship between
the court and the league of nations
dooms his plan. The DOGGY about the
British empires power to outvote the
United States in the league assembly
is dismissed at the White House as
an irrelevant scarecrow. The Presi-
dent has persuaded himself that, with
proper reservations, the United States
can join the court without the re-
hottest danger of communicating en-
tanglements. He is confident the ma
ton can be easily and clearly edu-
Gated on that point.
President Is Firm.
Republican chieftains. including, it
is understood, even members of the
cabinet, hoped to induce the Presi
dent to drop or sidetrack the world
court by appealing to his well known
sense of party loyalty. They thought
if they dinned party split" into the
Harding ears long and loud enough
his devotion to G. o. P harmony
would overcome his enthusiasm for
the court. But split or no split. the
President is going to swing clean
through His answer to the argu-
ment that 1t is bad politics" to force
the court issue is that it would be
difficult to find a better one. With
prosperity" at home and the court
gesture in the direction of "interna-
feels that the G. o. p in 1924 will have
two winning issues, instead of one.
He prefers that republican minds
should willingly go along with this
theory, but he will adhere to it
whether they do or not. Those who
have seen it at close range during
the past day or two say the Harding
Jaw is set on that score. They never
found Mr.. Harding more determined.
Irreconcilable republicans are trying
10 sabotage the world court proposal
by assailing it as Hughes scheme"
or Hoover scheme The idea back
OF those tactics is to make out that
the President had the thing put over
and better judgment. The exact con-
trary happens to be the case. 1t was
president Harding who submitted the
proposal to Secretary Hughes, and not
1t his immediate and cordial indorse-
ment.
Hoover Backs Plan.
Secretary Hoovers speech at Des
Moines last week. firing the administra-
tion's opening gun for the world court,
was read and approved by President
AAeA AAh6 uCIoic OcllNcTy. SECRETARY
Hughes elaboration of the scheme be-
fore the International Law Society on
April n is certain also to have con-
crete White House approval 1t is
likely to cover different ground than
Mr.. Hoover traversed in Iowa. He will
be. talking to international lawyers, so
in large part the forthcoming Hughes
exposition will be legalistic. But it
may be expected to deal in hammer
and-tongs fashion with the cardinal OBJ
jections which opponents have raised.
The Secretary of State, for instance.
brands as grotesque the notion that
America might some day find itself
hailed into the world court to adjudicate,
at foreign behest, such things as her
tariff and immigration laws. Mr.. Hughes
may discuss the world court in general
terms this week in his D. A. r. ad-
dress.
If he ventilates views his friends
all know him to hold, Secretary
Hughes public advocacy of the
world court idea will be found to
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