Evening star., 1924-04-20
Leaders viii Fight Against
Allowing Project to Die
in Committee.
HAD PROPOSED MOVE
TO FORCE DISCUSSION
Hearings Due to Start April 80.
Number of Republicans
Favor Protocol.


sideration Of the protocol proposing
adherence of the United States TO
the world court by the Senate at the
present session will be exerted br
the Democratic forces in that body.
a canvass of the situation developed
yesterday.
in fact, only the action of the
Senate foreign relations committee
yesterday in authorizing hearings on
the protocol before a subcommittee
forestalled a motion to discharge
that committee from further consid-
Grafton Of the protocol so as to bring
1t directly before the Senate, it was
said. Even now. unless the hearings
move forward promptly and the COM
mittee gives evidence of considering
the resolution, such a motion will
follow.
The great majority of the demo
cratic senators, it was said. favor
the adherence of the United States
to the protocol. Only three of the
old league of nations irreconcilableS
remain on the Democratic side OF the
chamber A considerable number or
the Republican senators favor rati-
fication of the protocol. with such
rese rvations as will prevent the in
volvement of the United States in
the affairs of the league of nations.
Many of them are as earnest IN
support of the movement for action
on the protocol as are the Demo
Gratis.
In Committee for Year.
The protocol has been before the
Senate foreign relations committee
for upward of a year. When Presi-
dent Coolidge addressed Congress at
its opening last December, he said
pending before the Senate is
proposal that this government give
it's support to the Permanent Court
of International Justice, which IS
new and somewhat different plan.
This is not a partisan question. 1t
should not assume an artificial i'm
portance. The court is merely a con
venient instrument of adjustment to
which we could go, but to which VIC
could not be brought. 1t should be
discussed with entire candor, not by
a political but by judicial method.
without pressure and without preju-
dice Partisanship has no place in
our foreign relations AS I wish to
see a court established, and as the
proposal presents the only practical
plan on which many nations have
ever agreed, though it may not meet
every desire, I, therefore. commend
it to the favorable consideration of
the Senate, with the proposed reser-
vations clearly indicating our re-
nations"
Senator Lodge, Republican leader
of the Senate and chairman of the
foreign relations committee, has
dubbed the world court, as now con-
stituted, the league of nations"
court He did 80 in a letter to Gov.
Hyde OF Missouri two months after
the transmission of the protocol to
the Senate by the late President
Harding. Senator Hiram Johnson of
California, another "irreooncilable,
sought to make the world court an
issue in his campaign for the Re-
publican nomination for President.
strongly opposing the adherence of
this country to the court in any
shape. The supporters of the world
court proposal are now pointing out
that Senator johnson so far has not
been particularly successful in his
campaign for delegates on this issue.
Hn~
April so is the tentative date set
for beginning the hearings on the
world court by the Senate subcom-
mittee-whioh, by tho way, has been
given power only to hold hearings
and not TO make recommendations
regarding the proposal. Senator
Pepper of Pennsylvania is chairman
Of the subcommittee and the other
members are Senators Brandegee,
Connecticut, Republican; Shipstead
Of Minnesota, Farmer Laborite;
Swanson of Virginia and Pittman of
Nevada, Democrats Representatives
OF the National League of Woman
Voters, the Federated Council of
Churches, the United States Chamber
OF commerce, JHe NOn-PartSa
League OF Nations Association, the
Foreign Policies Association and the
Association Of University Women will
be heard in favor of adherence by
this country to the world court The
witnesses will not be confined to this
list, however, and others, both for
and against the proposal, will be
heard.
VIII Not Revive League.
1t is not believed that the Demo-
Gratis are anxious to make the league
of nations as now constituted an
issue in the coming campai gn-in
fact, the reverse is believed to be
true-but the Democrats are not
averse to calling the attention of
the country, and particularly those
citizens who have been strong in
support of the world court idea, to
the delay to which the Republican
controlled foreign relations COM
n1ittee has subjected the protocol
Further. they will be glad to see the
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