Evening star., 1924-05-26
IN TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

The world Is weary Of war. It first
showed evidences Of that WEAKNESS
some 600 years B. c.. when the Greek
tribes organized the Amphictyonic
council to regulate and suppress In
tertribal wars: the last expression of
the longing OF civilization to abolish
war came last Saturday when the
United States Senate committee on
foreign affairs agreed to support a
plan offered by Senator Pepper Gre
publiCan) Of Pennsylvania, whereby
tional Justice. established and now
supported by the league Of nations.
might be so separated from that sup
port that the whole world could rec
ogniZe and adhere to the court with
out. in the remotest degree. adhering g
to the league Of nations.
There has been a popular miscon-
ception as to the division OF opinion
concerning the desirability Of a
Permanent Court of International
Justice. Nearly all parties. Of what
ever shades of opinion, have desired
such a court, where impartial justice
could be rendered between nations
based upon a developed code OF in
ternational law.
In much the same way, prior to our
entry into the world war, there were
self-styled "pacifists" who took the
position that all who were not paci-
fists desired war. whereas the pa
triots whose voice was for war
were no less desirous of peace. with
justice and honor and permanent
world wide security, than were the
supine and timid.
So, in recent years, there have been
church and lay support urging an
International court OF justice, ana
assuming that unless the league or
lar form of organization were accept
ed the objectors were "iSolationlstS
or "militarists," opposed to settle
ment Of international differences ex-
cept by the arbitrament OF war
X X
The obstacles to acceptance OF the
league of nations Permanent Court
Of International Justice, so far as
concerned the United States, have
been partly in our refusal to indorse
what has appeared to the majority of
Americans the "super-government' of
the league Of nations, with it's undue
equality of petty nations and semi
civilized peoples in the league as
sembly alongside of and with equal
resentatives of the United States and
other great powers maintaining
higher standards of civilization, cui-
ture and justice and having greater
interests al stake.
Pro league adherents may not ad-
NIT the fairness of this attitude OF
America, but a majority of 7,O000 600
SO registered American judgment
: BY the treaty of Versailles the
league of nations was authorized and
directed to organize an international
Court of Justice, which it proceeded
to do This new institution does not
supersede the Hague international
Court of Arbitration. organized in
1907, which never was court, in
fact. but merely panel from which
states in dispute could select arbi-
ters to arrange compromises, (pro-
vided both parties agreed to do so).
This new court Of justice has been
SeitCteu dPpoihtCu OS thC iNoS NC
(of which the United States is not
a party, 1t is paid by the league and
is obligated to act as the legal ad-
wiser of the league whenever so re-
Quested, it is indisputably q creature
of the league and. a part of the
league today, as it always has been.
Nevertheless, President Harding
President Coolidge and Secretary of
State Hughes have urged the ac-
ceptance Of this court, with the
verbal reservation that by doing so
we were not accepting the league of
nations.
Opponents of the presidential pro-
gram urge that such mere verbal
reservations would not change the
fact that by accepting the leagues
court-chosen, supported and paid by
the league-we would be "entering
the league by the back door after de-
clining to enter by. the front door"
There have been three resolutions
offered for consideration of the Sem
ate committee on foreign affairs con-
cerning the world court prior to the
one Of Senator Pepper
Last December Senator Lsnroot,
Republican, of Wisconsin offered a
resolution to accept the statute of the
Permanent Court of International JUS
tice, with the reservation that that
acceptance should not involve any