Evening star., 1923-03-02
HUGHESSTATEMENT
FAILS T0PR0MOTE
WORLD COURT PLAN
Senators Reaffirm That Con-
gress Will Not Act at
This Session.
QUESTIONS ANSWERED
BY STATE SECRETARY
Administrators Desire for U. S.
Membership Reasserted-No Ad-
vance Agreement Necessary.

The decision not to act at this ses-
sion of Congress on President Hard
ing's proposal for American member
ship in the International Court of
Justice was reaffirmed by the Senate
foreign relations committee today.
after it had received a further ex-
PLANTATION of the administrators pur-
noses from President Harding and
Secretary Hughes.
The committee. took its position
quickly at meeting called by Chair
man Lodge after he had received a
brief note from the President trans
mitting a long, technical letter from
MIR. hughes in response to a list OF
questions sent to the White House
earlier in the week. The communica-
ttonS reasserted the administrations
desire for American membership in
the court and emphasized that agree
ment in advance to compulsory arbi-
tration of all questions was not nee
eSsary.
Placed Into Record.
Later Senator Lodge had the two
letters placed in the Congressional
Record, without reading. and with
the comment that he understood they
had already been made public by the
Secretary of State. Senator Lodge
also called attention that there was
only one more working day of the
session.
Privately Senator Lodge and others
expressed surprise at the promptness
OF Secretary Hughes reply. and some
senators said they could not consider
1t a complete response to the COM
mittee questionnaire
The committees list of questions.
which was drawn up by Senator
Borah. republican, Idaho. d leader of
the Senate irreconciIableS, was ad-
dressed TO the President, but had been
referred by him to Secretary Hughes.
The first query related to whether
the President favorS an agreement
"obilgating" powers who sign the
court protocol to submit for decision
all questions relating to the interpre-
tation of treaties, 10 questions of in
ternational law, to breaches of in
tternational obligations, and to SINH
lar subjects.
Answers in Negative.
Il understand" wrote Secretary
Hughes, that the question is not in
tended TO elicit your purely personal
opinion, or whether you would look
with an approving eye upon an agree
ment of this sort made effective by
the action of all powers, but whether
you, as President, in the exercise of
your constitutional authority to nego-
tate treaties, favor the undertaking
10 negotiate treaty on the part of
the United States with other powers
creating such an obligatory jurisdic-
tion.
so understood. i think that the
question must be answered in the
% h tS. 80 In t1Nat
the Senate has so clearly defined it's
attitude in opposition to such an
agreement that until there is ground
for believing that this attitude has
been changed it would be entirely
futile for the executive to negotiate
d treaty of the sort described"
Labor Bureau Not Involved,
Replying to the question whether
court membership would involve
recognition of the international ia
Dor bureau set up by part XIII of the
Versailles treaty. Mr.. Hughes said:
II submit that the answer should
be in the negative The fact
that the United States gave it's adhe-
sion to the protocol and accepted the
statute of the court would not make
the United States a party to treaties
d
party. or a participant in disputes in
which it would otherwise not be a
participant. Undoubtedly there are
Il host Of treaties to which the United
States is not party. as we'll as part
HI1I of the treaty of Versailles, which
would give rise to questions which
such a Permanent Court of Interna-
tional Justice should hear and deter
mine. None of the Signatory powers
by cooperating in the establishment
and maintenance of the court make
themselves parties to treaties, or as
sumo obligations under treaties, be-
tween other powers"
The Presidents note of transmittal to
Senator Lodge follows:
"on Wednesday you sent to me the re
quest of the foreign relations committee
for information relative to the proposal
hat We adhere to the protocol estab-
fishing an international court of Justice
at The Hague. I Immediately submitted
the inquiries of Your committee to the
Secretary of State for detailed reply
| am pleased to transmit to you here
with a letter from the Secretary of
State covering the various questions
raised in the committee resolution of in
quiry. I need not add that the reply
of the Secretary of State has my most
hearty approval"