Evening star., 1926-09-22
Americas Reservations.

Notice has again been given by
President Coolidge to the member ma
tions of the World Court that Amer
lean entry into the court can be had
only upon the conditions laid down
by the Senate in the resolution ratl-
fying the World Court protocol. State
ments to the press emanating from the
White House are calculated to snow
the foreign diplomats meeting in
Geneva that the nations must take
American adherence to the court as it
Is or leave 1t.
The President has indicated that the
reservations were adopted by the Sen
ate to safeguard American interests,
that he has neither the power nor the
inclination to change them if he had
the power. In other words, the Presi-
dent has no desire to submit to the
Senate again the question Of Ameri-
can adherence to the World Court.
The administration put its shoulder to
the wheel for the World Court at the
last session of the Senate, and won it's
fight for adherence. The reservations
are sine qua non so far as the Sen
ate is concerned. Any attempt now
at modifying these reservations would
get nowhere and the Senate would
merely be thrown into an endless de-
bate if the question were again opened.
The reservation to which there
seems most objection in Geneva, where
the members of the court are consid-
ering the American conditions of ad-
herence, is the fifth adopted by the
Senate This reservation reads:
That the court shall not render any
advisory opinion except publicly after
due notice to all states adhering to
the court and to all interested states
and after public hearing or oppor-
tunity for hearing given to any state
concerned: nor shall it, without the
consent of the United States, enter
tain any request for an advisory opin-
ion touching any dispute or question
in which the United States has or
claims an interest.
The stumbling block Is the last
clause of this reservation. The for
eign nations are seeking to interpret
II AS meaning that the United States
desires equality with the nations
which are members of the League of
Nations Council when it comes to re-
ouesting the court for advisory opin-
ions.
The plain language Of the reserva-
tion shows no such Interpretation to
be possible The President has pointed
this out. What the American reserva-
ton does is to deny the right of the
League of Nations to demand an ad-
visory opinion from the court on any
subject in which the United States
has or claims to have an interest.
without the consent of the United
States.
1t has been made clear by the ad-
ministration and the country in the
mast that the United States has no
present intention of becoming a mem
her of the League of Nations or of
becoming involved in the affairs of the
League Nor has the United states
any intention of being dragged into
the League through the back door. The
fifth reservation was adopted by the
Senate to prevent just such an occur
renee
With the warning now given to
them again, the members of the
World Court must realize fully that
if they wish the United States to slt
with them in the court, as member.
they must accept the reservations as
they are written. To do less would
mean the failure of the United States
to adhere to the court.