Evening star., 1925-01-11

der the statute providing for the
court.
When the court renders such opin-
ions at the request Of the league, 1t
is pointed out, it is acting rather in
the capacity of the attorney general
or chief legal adviser of the league,
and not as court. Such opinions
would be ex parte, and not following
trial, as court decisions are rem
dered
Suppose, it is said, the league
should ask, at the behest of Japan,
the court to give the league an opin-
ion as to whether the question of
immigration was one which should be
submitted to the league Such an
opinion might lead TO serious trouble,
even though the United States had
declared that II did not intend to be
bound in any way by such opinions.
When the Swanson resolution,
which was introduced last May, was
considered by the committee, atten-
ton was then called to the matter
OF such advisory opinions. At that
tlmer an amendment was drafted by
Senator Walsh of Montana, which
was added to the Swanson resolution.
providing that
Inc United States shall be in no
manner bound by any advisory opin-
Ion or the Permanent Court of Inter-
national Justice not rendered pur-
suant to a request in which it the
united States, shall expressly join in
the accordance with the statute for
said court adjoined to the protocal
OF slgnatories of the same to which
the United States shall become sigma
tory.
Twice Urged by Coolidge.
President Coolidge has twice, in an
nuaI messages to Congress, recon-
mended favorable action on the pro-
posal for adhesion of the United
States to the World Court, with res
ervation which would make il clear
that the United States shall not be-
come involved in any way with the
League of Nations.
The late President Harding in sub
mittfng the proposal originally to the
Senate acted after receiving the ad-
vice of Secretary Hughes of the State
Department, and it is to be presumed
that President Coolidge also obtained
the advice of Mr.. Hughes in the
matter. The resignation of Secre-
tary Hughes, to take effect March 4
according to members of the COM
mittee last night should not now
affect the status or the chances of
the protocol before the committee or
the Senate.
With the rapid progress made by
the Senate in the consideration of
appropriation bills during the last
week, hope is expressed that there
will be time still during the present
session for some consideration of the
World Court On the other hand,
Senator Swanson made it clear yes
terday that not even he would seek
to have the court resolution consid-
cred at times when appropriation
bills were pressing for considera-
tion-in other words, that he would
be opposed to forcing discussion of
the court if that would prevent the
Senate from completing the appro-
priations and thereby bring about
an extra session of Congress.
King Offers Plan
Senator King of Utah, Democrat, was
the first to offer a resolution proposing
adhesion to the protocol in accordance
with the recommendations of President
Harding. His resolution was reintro-
duced and also is pending before the
committee, and is very similar to the
resolution of Senator Swanson.
While the Pepper resolution, which
was voted out by the foreign relations
committee May 27 last, just before the
adjournment of Congress accepts the
court as an established institution, 1t
goes much further in its efforts at
separating that institution from the
League of Nations than do the Swanson
and Willis resolutions
1t was the only compromise be-
tween conflicting opinions of the COM
mittee which could be obtained at
that time. Whether the present com
mittee will be more ready to act
upon such a propOsal as that ad-
vanced by the President remains to
be seem Senator Borah of Idaho
chairman of the committee, has taken
the position that it is idle to set up
World Court unless there is world
law-international law-to govern
and to be interpreted by the World
Court. The Pepper resolution pro-
posed that such code of law be de-
veloped.