Evening star., 1926-10-10
HUGHES MOVES NEARER -
TO WORLD COURT POST
Appointment by President to Arbitration3
Tribunal at The Hague Enhances -
His Chance of Being Judge.

agency, President Mckinley instructed
the American delegation to act upon
1.-The long-continued and widespread in.
terest among the people Of the United.e
States in the establishment Of an in.
ternational tribunal" Furthermore,
he directed the delegation to propose,
a plan for a tribunal to which the ma
tions might submit "all questions OF
| disagreement between them. excepting
such as may relate to or involve their I,
political independence or territorial in
| tegrity."
This first Hague conference did notr
go as far as the American delegation
desired. 1t modified the American
plan and drew up convention for the
pacific settlement of international dis
putes. under which was established
the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
The Americans reported the opinion
| that this court was a thoroughly
practical beginning" which would
serve as 'the germ out of which
better and better system will be gradu-
ally evolved
The Court of Arbitration was organ
lied in 1900 and in 1902 the United
States submitted it's first case To it
through President Roosevelt. involving
a dispute with Mexico. But many ma,
tions, including the United States.
| were not satisfied to rest with this
achievement.
Second Hague Conference.
In 1907 the second Hague confer
| ence was convoked, and again the
American delegation, on instructions 4
| from President Roosevelt, worked for
the establishment of "a permanent
| tribunal composed of judges who are
| judicial officers and nothing else. who :
are paid adequate salaries and who =.
! have no other occupation. and who
| will devote their entire time to the
| trial and decision of international
causes by judicial methods and under
a sense of judicial responsibility"
| The British and German delegations
| supported the United States in this
stand. but again only partial success :.
was achieved. The chief stumbling
| block was in creating a method of
eleCting the judges. The great powers
could not then bring themselves to
| give the small nations an equal voice. F..
| The American delegation finally re-
| ported that "the foundations of a Per- ?
manent Court have been broadly and
| firmly laid. A little time, a little I,
patience, and the great work Is &C -.
complished.' "
| 1t had been planned to hold a third Z
| Hague Conference in 1915, but the .
World War broke out and abruptly .
ended that plan. By the end of the
w OIlu w dL, HONeNcI, lIlc IIlOOu Va lHC
nations for pacific settlement of a
! disputes was such as to result in the
formation of the League of Nations.
and advocates of World Court found ''
opportunity to insert in the covenant =
of the League Il provision for estab- =
| fishing the long-desired World Court.
Court Task Begun. .
The Council of the League Of Ma !,
| tions in 1920 began the task of estab- -.
| fishing q court by naming a commit ="
tee of legal experts to draft it's consti-
tuition, and paid a tribute to the United I.
States by naming Elihu Root to the. .
committee. Thus from the beginning
| of efforts to create a world court down
| to the actual drafting of a constitution. =,
for the World Court there has been...
American counsel and support. =.
| Mr.. Root is credited with the sug-'
| gestion that finally overCame the diff :
Guilty of electing judges to the court. (.
He proposed that nominations. Of :.
| judges be by the national groups in
the original Court of Arbitration.
| and that the Assembly and the COUNSEL. =
| Of the League should elect judges from
nominations. In case Of nation not
represented in the Court of Arbitra-
| ton panel. nominations shall be made
! by "a group of four of the leading;
| jurists or experts in international law.
| in their own boundaries.
Judges Qualifications.
The qualifications of judges of the
| World Court are that they shall be Sc
lected regardless of their nationality /,
from among persons of high moral.
| character, who possess qualifications
required by their respective countries
| for appointment to the highest judicial
office. or are jurisconsults of recog-%
nized competence In international 4,
| law"
| President Coolidge. in notifying the
world of the appointment of MFR.
Hughes to the Court of Arbitration,a
cited that he was formerly Secretary
of State of the United States, assoc-
ate judge of the Supreme Court of the
| United States and governor of the
State of New York
| Wherefore it is evident that Mr.
Hughes meets the qualifications and
SustainS the caliber of American par-~
ticipation in the long struggle to sub
stitute arbitration for force of arms
in settling international disputes.