Evening star., 1925-03-08
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.
\ RESIDENT COOLIDGE is whole
J heartedly for entrance by the
United States into the World

United States into the World
i Court, as shown by his inau
gural address, and the House
is nearly unanimous in his support,
as shown by the vote of 302 to 2S on
March 3-whfle the Senate is very
much divided.
1t is a striking coincidence that on
the day before the inauguration the
House resolution approving the World
Court should have been passed by
this very decisive roll call vote. and
that within "a hours the President in
his broadest inaugural address re-
iterated the views expressed in his
message to Congress in December
that the United States should adhere
to the protocol under which the Per
manent Court of International Justice
was established and is now function
ing.
Display of Reason.
President Coolidge expressed the
conviction that "the principle that a
display of reason rather than a threat
of force should be the determining
factor" should, lead to our
adherence to the Permanent Court of
International Justice. Where great
principles are involved" he advised.
where great movements are under
welfare of humanity by reason of the
very fact that many other nations
have given such movements their
actual support, we ought not to with
hold our own sanction because of any
small and inessential difference, but
only upon the grounds of the most
important and compelling funda-
mental reasons"
This strong plea came just two
years after the late President Har-
ding's recommendation that the
United States adhere to the protocol
was communicated to the Senate
along with a letter by Secretary of
State Hughes on February "a, 1928.
President Harding asked for ap-
proval of the Senate, with reserva-
tions providing that adherence should
not involve any legal relation to or
obligation under the covenant with
the League of Nations, and that the
United States participate in the cleo
ton of judges and pay its proportion
of the expenses of the court.
Advisory Opinions Not Binding.
1t has been further recommended
by Secretary Hughes and President
Coolidge that there should be no
change in the constitution of the
court without the consent of our
Government and that the advisory
opinions Of the court shall not be
binding on the United States None
of these reservations would disrupt
the court, as already created and
functioning, the Presidents support
ers argue, but would attach certain
conditions to the membership of this
country therein.
During the period of a year after
February "a, 1923, members of the
Senate-among them Senators Lodge
Lenroot and Pepper-introduced
resolutions not providing for identi-
fication with that particular court as
recommended by the Executive, but
contemplating the creation of a new
court, with the United States as a
member.
Minority shows Opposition.
A majority of the Senate committee
on foreign relations, through Sena cor
Pepper, on May 27, 1924, submitted a
resolution and report suggesting that
the United States condition it's men,
bership in the court upon a material
amendment to the statute under
which the court exists. The minority
of the committee. headed by Senator
Swanson and including Senators
Robinson and Underwood, submitted
minority report on May 81 ap-
proving the Recommendation of the
Executive and taking the position
that the majority resolution really
proposed the Organization of a new