The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-05-26
SAYS LEAGUE
is EFFECTIVE
WORLD AGENCY
Hamilton Holt, Urging Sup
port of League and World
! Court, Urges u. S. Act
COURAGE is NEEDED
Declares That United States
Must Not Fail in Time of
World Crisis

Hamilton Holt, former editor oil
the Independent magazine and now
touring the nation in behalf of the
League of Nations Nonpartisan As
sociation gave two addresses in
Bismarck today, expounding the
theories of the world court and the
general idea embraced in the league
of Nations. He commended Wilson,
Harding and Coolidge for their
stand on international relations and
urged an elimination of partisan
consideration in the consideration
OF this great issue in which the APP
proach Of peace was SO intimately
involved.
His first address was at Il lunch
con at which the Kiwanis and AS
sociation of Commerce JOINED.
/ Judge l.. f. Birdzell, president OF
the Kiwans presided At the speak
ers table were President Coulter OF
the Aricultural College and DR.. N.
o. Ramstad, vice president of the
Association of Commerce.
Mr. Holt was introduced by Judge
Birdzell. More than $50 business
men of the city and number of the
! business and professional women
] Joined in the luncheon. Music was
furnished by the High School or
chestra under the~ leadership of l..
G. Sorlien.
Talks to Women
United States responsibility as far
as it's world relations are concerned
was most vividly set forth in both
the noon address and the one de-
livered late this afternoon under the
auspices of the Women's Commun-
ity Council.
Mr.. Holt is accompanied on this
trip by his daughter. MISS Holt.
"What we need at the present hour
is someone in control of the foreign
affairs of the United States with the
courage of Roosevelt, the humanity
of Taft, or the vision of Wilson"
said Mr.. Holt, at the women's
meeting. "The danger in Eur
ope today is not so much revolution
as dissolutiOn," he continued. Civ
ilization is literally evaporating.
Wise men told me in Europe last
summer that Europe is returning to
another Dark Ages If old England
had not been standing in the breach
while We have been playing on the
side lines, do not know where Eur
ope would be today. Yet for every
man we lost in the war England lost
II and France lost 30"
For The League
Mr.. Holt's lecture was plea that
the United States enter the existing
League of Nations and the Perman-
ent Court of International Justice.
Mr.. Holt's definition Of the League,
which he said was the best brief for
mutation he could offer, was this:
tThis League is a scheme whereby
Govereign nations can act together
unanimously better than they other
wise could" The only two impor-
tant words in the definition were
Sovereign" and "unanimous.' "How
any nation could lose its sovereignty
who joined the League was beyond
the comprehension of every member
of the Assembly l met in Geneva"
said Mr.. Holt. Indeed, if any Unit
ed States Senator had voted to bring
the United States into League that
in any respect violated our Constitu-
ton he could have been impeached
for treason, for the only people who
can change the American COnstitu-
ton are the American people. No
foreign people or League can do it
and any Senator who voted to per-
NIT it would have violated his oath
of office.
Acts Unanimously
"When the League acts it can only
act unanimously-in other words, on
ly as far and as fast as nations can
agree on ways and means. One
would not think under the circrm-
Stances" said Mr.. Holt, "the pace
'Sould be SO dizzy as to cause many
nations to swoon. The League there
I fore is not a super golernment. 1t
cannot compel, enforce or even leg
islate. In every instance it's function
is to recommend, to advise and to
propose"
Mr.. Holt then took up the two
main functions of the League-the
prevention of war and the promotion
of progress. Already since the es
tablishment Of the League on Janu
dIy 1O, 1SSVs. AHuSu NoS DCCH uVhS
along both lines. There are two
main organs of the League already
functioning designed to compose in
ternational differences--the court to
settle justiciable questions and the
Council, to settle -jucticiable or
political questions. Already the
court has rendered nine opinions.
1t will be remembered that when the
United States Supreme Court was set
up no contested case came before 1t
for two and one-half years. But the
World Court is already going strong.
The establishment of this court has
4, been the aim of every American ad-
:. 1ninistration, both Republican and
:. Democratic. for the past 80 years.
VA And now it owes its being largely to
tHe genius of an American-Elihu
Root. The Palace at The Hague in
which it sits was given by another
American-Andrew Carnegie. And
one of it's present judges is anoth-
fNnn<innnA nv noon ~