Evening star., 1923-05-13
VANDERBILT URGES
TAKING PACT POWER
FROM PRESIDENTS
Proposes Elected Council of
rs With Full Power to
Make Treaties.
FINANCIER ADDRESSES
CHURCH SESSION HERE
Would Take International Affairs
From President and
Senate.

Denouncing as archaic and lncompe-
tent the machinery by which the United
States handles it's foreign relations,
Frank A. Vanderlip OF New York,
former president Of the National City
Bank, in an address yesterday at the
City Club before the general conven-
ton of the New Jerusalem the
Swedenborgian Church in America) ad-
vocated a constitutional change which
would take the treaty making power
out Of the hands Of the President, the
Secretary Of State, and the Senate, and
place It IN a Council Of foreign re-
lations" to be elected by the people
The council suggested by Mr.. Van
derlip would consist OF twenty-five
members, at least one-half to spend
their time abroad. Mr.. Vanderlip
would have the members elected for
at least ten years, SO as to give
continuity to the American foreign
policy. He feels that this lack Of
continuity is one great fault OF the
present system.
Scores Present System
foreign relations, Mr.. vanderlip said.
fails utterly TO express popular opin-
ion. No President, he asserted, was
ever elected because Of his knowledge
Of foreign affairs, and the same rule
applied to the Senate.
Mr.. Vanderlip asserted that the
great need of the world today was
moral leadership. He took the
churches of the country to task for
their failure in this direction. He de-
nounced also the selfshness and the
egotism Of the 100 per cent Amer
ican" who has little or no good will
toward other peoples
He hailed the world court. as ad-
vocated by President Harding. as
move in the right direction.
"And yet" he said, although !t
can be counted hardly as stop for
ward, It has encountered the most
widespread opposition. We hear
again the old CRY of national sover-
eighty Nothing must be done to
interfere with national sovereignty
We must have none of international
Justice, international morality, IL IL
interferes with our national sover-
eighty"
Concept of Morality.
Mr.. Vanderlip's subject was The
Moral Obligation of Nations" He
was introduced by the Rev. William
! l. Worcesterter of Cambridge. Mass.
! president of the general convention
| of the New Jerusalem. Mr.. Wander
! lin confessed himself q Theological
| illtterate" His own concept or
morality, however, he said, was that
! a thing which does harm, either to
| ones self or to others, is immoral
whereas a thing which is not harm
| full is not immoral.
"I believe" Mr.. Vanderlip con-
| tinued. that we are on the threshold
! of a profound advance in ethics and
! that this advance is going to be one
| of the good results of the war. What
| high hopes we had of what might
| come out of the war, and how pitt
| fully little actually came out or III
! Perhaps in an economic way We
| learned something of the significance
| of the thrift and of the value of In
yestments. New springs of capital
i unQueStlOndDlS nave hO"SN AANt'A tiAS
| education of the war.
| May Be Worth Cost.
"But there is a profoundly creator
thing still TO come. 1t hasn't como
vet but when It does it may prove
! 70 be worth all the cost in blood.
treasure and sacrifice. 1t is quick
ening of interest in international
moral obligations.
."The world has too long been guild
| ed by the theory of the sovereignty
| of nations; that any nation might
do anything that seemed for the best
! interest of its nationals. But all that
has got to pass. There are no signs
of 1t as yet. but there is beginning
to be doubt of the correctness of that
theory.
."rhe chaos in Europe today is not
q. chaos directly resulting from the
devastation of the war itself Great
as was that destruction, Europe and
the world, with our modern facilities
of reproduction, could readily have
recovered from the physical damage
Of the war. The chaos Of Europe
tOQ2V Is more Tic oiIOS VA
the peace and the passions that the
war and the peace engendered We
have to deal today with the most
intense hatreds that ever ruled theI
ueoples of the world-the greatest
blindnesses the greatest prejudices.
Harmful acts-and therefore im-
moral acts-have grown out of these
passions and hatreds and prejudicea
To account for the terrible state OF
affairs which exists today we must
go deeper than the material damage
of war. deeper than the deplorable
loss Of life, deeper than the vast eco
nomic waste Of war and get into
what is really a spiritual question.
Scores Propaganda.
There is a commandment that wa
shall not bear false witness against
neighbor. 1t is an important COM
mandment for US to keep; great harm
follows its violation. Yet we do not
recognize that bearing false witness
by one nation against another nation
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