Evening star., 1925-09-28
The Interparliamentary Union.

The cause of international peace
will be fostered at an important gath
ering of members of the parliament
tarv bodies of the world in Washing
ron this week. the twenty-third CON
ference of the acknowledgements
Union. This voluntary association is
especially important because Of the
educational experience achieved
through elbow touching Of the men
who enact laws for forty-one nations.
The union provides a forum at which
world peace and the advancement of
its peoples may be discussed by those
who must in the end largely deter
mine these matters through legisla
ton.
The Interparliamentary Union held
its first conference in Paris at the
time of the world exposition i'll 1889,
thirty-six years ago. The meeting here
III Washington, which will be called
10 order on Thursday. is the second
in the United States. ST. Louis at the
time of the exposition there in 1904
was the scene of the earlier gathering
within our borders. The meeting
here this year will mark the entry Of
the Latin American republics into
the union. Fourteen of these repub-
lies will be represented. Heretofore
American participation in the confer
ences has been confined to the United
States and Canada.
The Union joins together for brief
space members of the legislative
branch of the governments of, the
important nations of the world for
discussion. The League of Nations
on the other hand, brings together
in its assembly the representatives
of the executive governments of
the member nations both for discus
sion and action on matters affecting
the League and the countries included
in the League
Among the important questions
which will occupy the attention of the
Union at its session here is the
Codification of international law The
need of such codif1cation has be-
come more and more apparent,
particularly in view of the estab-
lishment Of the Permanent Court
Of international Justice-the World
Court-to which all the members of
the League of Nations have adhered,
and TO which the adherence of the
United States is now so earnestly
advocated by President Coolidge and
many other Americans.
Senator Borah of Idaho. chairman
Of the Senate foreign relations COM
mittee. has insisted that until interna-
tional law has been codified and de-
fined the World Court cannot really
function as a court of justice. The
discussion here next week is expected
10 give impetus to the movement for
codification Of international law. An
address by Elihu Root. former Secre-
tary of State, will be the basis for the
discussion of this topic.
Another subject set for considera-
tion at the conference is the Grim
inality of aggressive war, which has
been the menace of international
The hope of the peace advocates has
been that some day the world would
so frown on aggressive war that a ma
ton would be barred from this crime
by the weight Of world opinion. 1t is
in line with the present-day demand
for the ''outlawry of war;
The meetings will be held in the
capitol. the first time that building has
been used for business other than that
of the Congress and the Supreme Court
of the United States. For a week the
Union will occupy the hall of the
House of Representatives, and Eng
lish, French and German, the official
languages of the conference, will al
ternate in the delivery of addresses.