Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-05-09
Senate Leaders Plan Most
Complete Yet Offered -
White House and State Dept,
Make No Commentaries
No Mention of Court AL.
ready Set Up Under Aus.
pices Of League - Reserva.
tons Preserve Monroe Doc.
trine

Washington, May S.-Senator Henry
| Cabot Lodge today laid before the Sem
ate and the country a new world court
plan of his own.
1t provides for the reconvcning of
The Hague conference at the call of
President Coolidge and creation by it of
! permanent court to which the nations
| could submit their disputes for final
adjudication.
The resolution of the foreign rela-
tions committee chairman made no di-
rect mention of the international court
already set up under the auspices of
the League of Nations and commended
to the Senate by Presidents Harding
and Coolidge as an institution worthy
of American support.
Instead it proposed 10 build a tri-
bunal about the framework reared at
The Hague years ago with the judges
selected much after the manner of the
court sponsored by the league, except
that the league itself would have no
part in the procedure, while the United
States would act with Great Britain,
France, Italy and Japan through a
special committee" having veto
power over elections.
The immediate reaction of the
! White House and state department to
the plan of the Republican Senate lead
er was one of absolute silence. If
| President Coolidge or Secretary Hughes
ever heard of the proposal before it
! was brought forth on the Senate floor
| officials close to them gave no sign
of it.
On the contrary there was q plain
indication that Mr.. Coolidge remained
steadfast in his recently repeated ad-
hercnce to the existing court of inter-
national justice as the most practical
| tribunal Yet devised and that MT
| Hughes had not lost hope that, despite
| the attitude of Senator Lodge, the
| foreign relations committee might re-
Fort out the adherence plan originally
drawn up by the administration under
President Harding.
Mr.. Lodge himself made no explana-
| ton when he sent the resolution to
| the desk of the Senate secretary. He
would not indicate what plans he might
have for bringing the proposal up for
action. But some of his Republican
colleagues on the committee suggested
so many different world court proposals
now are pending there that it might
be difficult to get action on ay Of them
| at this session of Congress.
A subcommittee is in process of
holding hearings on the Harding Cool
idge-Hughes proposal; Senator Swan
son of Virginia. the ranking Democrat
on the committee, has pending reso-
luton along somewhat similar lines;
RonIh1irnn Mis-
cousin: Senator Pepper, Republican.
Pennsylvania. and others have put In
proposals either for adherence to the
existing court or some other means of
codfying international law.
For completeness of detail, however,
there is no plan now before Congress
that approaches that presented by SEN
ator Lodge. After describing all the
ms and outs of the organization and
procedure of the court, his resolution
carries it's own NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
like the Lodge reservations TO the
League of Nations. to preserve the
Monroe Doctrine. to prevent any for
eign trespass on American domestic
questions, including immigration. and
to preserve the traditions and jndepen-
dence of the nation.
It is provided specifically in one of
these reservations that no case to
which the United States is a party
shall be suggested to the court except
under the provisions of definite
agreement setting forth the exact scope
of the questions to be decided and the
precise extent to which the court may
so.
1t would be provided, however. that
once an international question has been
submitted under the express agreement
Of the nations affected. the decision
would be final and subject TO review
and Interpretation only by the court
itself.