The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-09
LODGE PROPOSES NEW TRIBUNAL WORLDCOURT Plan Provides Scrapping
 Of Present Hague Organization SEEKS WAY AROUND LEAGUE OF NATIONS Likelihood Of Senate Ac- E ton During Present
 Session Remote
By RAYMOND CHAPTER.

ny kkAAMV-AD AAAtAN IT GdA4s
 (By Leased Wire te The Age-BerAlal
 WASHINGTON. May S-Heavy pressure behind the Harding Hughes world court plan has forced Senator Lodge, chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee. to yield in his opp position to the extent of proposing new tribunal of similar nature but which would be divorced of all connec- ton with the League of Nations. His plan did not have the sanction of the administration before it vas made pub lie.
 Behind this proposal, embodied in a resolution which the Massachusetts senator offered Thursday practically without comment, in fascanatfng story of the gradual crumbiing of the ring of irreconcilable senators who were all- powerful four years ago, and of the in nuence which has been developed by carefully organized drive of practically all religious bodies in the United States.
 Harding Plan Pissoaholea
 When Harding proposed membership in the permanent court of international justice, a year ago, Senate irrec0aella- bles snorted and Lodge stuck the plan in the most remote pigeonhole in his desk. Already the irrecOncilahle group has lost good deal in numbers and prestige but Lodge still felt strong enough to ignore the plan, which he secretly attributed to Secretary of State Hughes. who is regarded askance as a covert friend of the League of Ma tions.
 But as a matter of fact, the irrecon- cilables were already ca the way to the wings. They had rsled with . mighty hand for time. But Knox had died. New had been defeated for re- nominatioH. ganean Rns 6uay seek- ing the presidential mtmfnatlen- BoraA had shifted around to more moderate ground. McCornick was engaged in a doubtful fight for renominati0n which he has since lost. Noes was beaten for place on the convention delegation of his own state. Meanwhile q new rising spokesman in the person of Senator Pepper of Pennsylrania. fa- vorable to more extended international affiliations, had taken his place on the foreign relations committee.
 Chairman Of HeaF1aGs
 Pepper is chairman of the sab-con- mittee which has been holding hearinEs on the Harding court plan Repre- sentatives of practically every church organization in the country appeared and bales of resolutions indorsing the court were charted in. An the while Coolidge was advocating the court in his messages and speeches. Hughes was arguing for 1t on every platform appearance. Then, too, the democrats were taking every opportunity to chide Lodge with pigeonhOling the plan and were creating considerable political capital out of the situation
 All of these circumstances have re suited in the convergenee of . terrific amount of pressure on Ls0dEe and this accounts for his proposal Thursday
 The plan put forward by EO6Re was not approved either by President Cool idge or Secretary of States Hughes, before it was offered.
 Briefly, the resolution calls upon President Coolidge to convene a third Hague conference for the purpose of establishing a new international court of sixteen judges who would be selected by an electoral commission composed of representatives of signatoRy pow CTS. The chief objection to the present world court is that the judges are elected by the council and assembly of the League of Nations. Harding pro posed a reservation by which the United States would vote through representA- tives designated for the purpose 90 that membership in the league would not be necessary. But this reservation did not satisfy the anti-leagne senators-
 Makes Jurisdiction CsmpulsnEy
 Lodges pain provides fer oompnl- sorry Jurisdiction in disputes involving the interpretation of a treaty. questions of international law, and breach of in ternational obligations. The present world court provides compulsory Jurss- diction only in cases involving coun- tries who have signed the optional compulsory clause, Other countries may not be called into court against their will.
 There is little Likelihood of the LOdge plan or any other plan going through the Senate at this session. The move further complicates the situation by an jecting a new issue-namely, the ASs- dom of proposing A new court entire- ly as against the Harding Hughes plan of asking admission to the existing court under certain reservations which are designed to avoid affiliati6n wsAh the League of Nations.