The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-20
Pesident Pused By Hts Running Mute an O Fealess

United States will be saved from the depths of an inevitable and great de- pression in industry and agriculture which the continued chaos and misery of Europe would entail. Indeed the whole world enters upon period of peace and prosperity.
 Under President Harding and Pres ;dent Coolidge, again, in pursuance of this constructive foreign policy, there has been urged upon the nation mem bership in the world court. What a confused mass of argument, pro and con, as to our entrance into the world court, has been created, not only by the political damagogues but by some pro- foundly wise men What, again, are the fundamental propositions which will determine eventual public sentiment in the matter of our adherence to the world court? As I said before, the people have in their minds principally but two things in regard to our for eign policy: first, they do not want any impairment of the right of sover- eighty of the United States of its right to make a decision as to it's own in- terests, by itself; and second, with that settled, they want the United States to do its duty in its international reIa- tions.
 But in the propositions of Pres
 ident Coolidge in connection with
 the world court, there is safe
 guarded the sovereignty of the
 United States and its interests.
 In the fog of the argument to which the people of the United States are asked to listen on this subject, they want to keep clearly in mind that even when we join the court we are not com pelled to submit case to it if we do not wish to do so. If any particular case is one where our national interests seem to forbid legal arbitration, we are not bound to resort to the court. Be cause we help build the court house, we do not have to try any cases in it, un- less at the time, in any particular case, we desire to do it. But we must re- member that sometimes whe ma house is built, it may be very convenient thing tc go into to avoid rain and light ming. Yes, and probably avoid the thunder-blots of war! It is to our na- tional interests and the interests of the world to have a court to use if its use is mutually desired by two nations in a given case.
 Relieved of Fears.
 These simple thoughts upon the world court and the obligations which we would assume by adherence to it are sufficient to relieve us from any fears of the bogymen and the smoke-screens thrown up from behind political fences by the men who would drag this ques- tion of high purpose, of clear, simple, and plain duty, into the raire of po- litical demagOguery. International problems are always susceptible of clear statement when thoughts of political expediency as to form of statement give way to the desire to plainly set forth truth.
 Here we are, the greatest and most powerful nation on the face of the earth, possessing the capacity for world leadership. There may be people in the United States who fear that our repre- sentatives, when sent abroad, are not the peers, in patriotism and sense of duty, in ability and independence of character, of those whom they meet 1; they may believe that we should have a "crawfish" foreign policy; but the great majority, feel to whatever confer ence in foreign matters, which involves .the interests of the United States, our representatives may be sent, they will ably and fear1essly uphold the honor of the American people and the Amer ican flag.
 The American people are proud
 people. They will tolerate no lead
 ership which will surrender an iOta
 of their independence or sOver-
 eighty to any other nation or com.
 binatiOn of nations. Such an ae.
 tiOn on the part of any of our rep
 resentatives would be regarded as
 treason and dealt with accordingly.
 But theNman misjudges the temper
 and the fiber of American citizen
 ship who maintains that it is not
 as fearless in trusting it's represen-
 tatives fin any conflict of peace as
 it is in trusting it's youth the flag
 in war. A/
 To morally rot in a policy of na- tional isolation rather than to cleanly contest in those mental battlefields in which questions must be solved for the advancement of civilization, both here and abroad--is that the temper of the American people? I think not
 Court of Honor.
 The republican platform on foreign relations outlines a Dolicy which oar ried out with the copmon sense, clear vision, and courage of Calvin Cool idge, offers the American people a con- structiYe course of honor, safety, and progress. for it's own and the worlds good. It offers the only policy, which,