Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-27
Politics at Large
BY G.. Gould Lincoln

| largely in American politics hitherto,
1t promises to do so from now, II
some of the opponents Of the ad-
herence Of the United States to the
court are correct in their surmlses.
They are contemplating a campaign
to get the United States out of the
court, even before this country actu-
ally has gotten into 1t. Whether
they will be able to get the country
interested in the court as a political
issue remains to be seen. Senator
Hiram johnson of California tried
it out in 1923 and 1924. when he
sought to win the Republican nomi-
nation for President largely on the
issue of keeping this country out OF
the court. Apparently the issue did
not make much appeal to the Ameri-
| can people. He obtained only q
| handful of delegates to the conven-
ton and finally withdrew from the
contest.
Calvin Coolidge. on the other hand
recommended the favorable consid-
Grafton of the Senate for the pro-
posal that the United States adhere
to the court. with reservations. he
was nominated and elected by tre-
| mendous majority. 1t is perfectly
for the nomination. John w. Davis,
was equally committed to-the entry
of the United States into the World
Court. The late Senatorial Toilette
was the only one Of the three prtn-
cipal contestants for the Presidency
who was opposed to Americas entry
into the court.
Y X i y
As "a matter of fact, however, the
court issue did not figure largely in
the last campaign. 1t was rarely If
ever mentioned in the campaign
speeches of the candidates or of their
supporters, although the Republican
national platform pledged the adher-
ence of this country to the court,
with the Harding Hughes Coolidge
reservations.
Senator Borah of Idaho. Senator
johnson of Illinois and other Sen
| ators who have bitterly opposed the
court are credited now with the in
| tent of making it a real issue IN the
| campaign for the election of one
| third Of the Senate membership and
Of the House next Fall. But whether
| they will be able to do SO remains to
! be seen. In the first place. the Unit
! ed States will shortly become q mem
Der of the court. unless a miracle
| happens to prevent II. The vote
| adopting the resolution of ratification
is about to be taken In the Senate.
! There are plenty of assurances that
| the other nations members of the
court Will agree to the entry of the
United States on the terms laid down
| In that resolution. The issue, there
| fore must be made to get the United
| states out Of the court. Unless the
court should perform in some afro
| cious way within the next few
months, it will be rather difficult to
| get the people excited about with
| drawing from it Immediately. Mil
| lions of people. particularly those
| who look with favor on the interna-
| tional court, will be anxious to give
II a chance, to see If 1t cannot prove
an aid to international peace.
Furthermore. If the court is made
an issue in the campaign. it will
make strange political bedfellows
Senator Borah and Senator johnson.
for example, will be expected to carry
| on with the Senators from Indian ma
| and Senator Means Of Colorado.
| Practically the only large organiZa-
ton which has declared its opposition
| to the court is the Ku klux Khan.
The Hibernian also has pronounced
against the court. 1t will be an IN.
usual spectacle if the Khan and the
lrlsh-Americans are found in line.
y =
! L,
course, have a far broader issue in
| mind than merely Of getting the
| United States out of the World Court
| AFTER IL has gotten in. They see in
the entry OF this country into the
! court-the league court they call it
an entering wedge which will take US
more and more into tto affairs OF
Europe, an abandonment of the ira.
ditional policy Of this country with
regard to foreign entanglements. They
see ii also as step toward entry
not dismay at all many Of the Demo
crats-in fact, very large proportion
of them.
Possibly the attempt to make a CGnl
paign issue of the World Court will
be helpful TO the Democrats. splitting
to a certain extent the Republica ms
| while the Democrats are content &c
support the court.
Out in Illinois, where Senator Nc
kinley is running for denomination
and reelection. will come the first test
His opponent. Frank Smith, for years
chairman of the State central Repub
lican committee. is on the anti-couri
side of this issue, while Senator Nc
Kinley has voted for the adoption
of the cloture rule on the Wor.C
Court debate and will vote for the
final adoption of the resolution of rat
ification. 1t may be that the present
action of the Senate disposins flnally
of the World Court issue. so far al
getting us into the court IS concerned
will have the effect of removing the
court as real issue in Illinois. But
that is just what the aati-court Sen
atorS do not want to have happen. il
will not be strange If some OF the
Senators opposing the court sEoulc
turn UP in Illinois in the next few
weeks to make speeches for Mr.. Smitf
and against Senator Mckinley. The
primary election comes early in april
If Mckinley wins it will put cen
siderable damper on the hopes of the
court opponents, and If he loses il
may throw a scare into some of the
senatorial court supporters. 1t woulC
seem. in spite of the court issue, thai
Mckinley had a good chance to win
He is popular in the State and ha:
campaigned it thoroughly since last
March.
The favorable action of the Senate
on the World Court, forecast by thu
big vote in the Senate applying the
cloture rule. is another feather in the
cap of President Coolidge. To hin
| very largely belongs the success. II
he had not advocated the ratification
Of the World Court protocol. beyond
a doubt it would not have been rati
fed. It has been a byword on Cap
itol Hill that few of the Republican
Senator's were actively in favor o.
doing anything about the court. lr
fact, many of them would have beer
content to have allowed the cour7
matter to sleep indefinitely. This is
not true, of course, Of Senator Len
root of Wisconsin,, who has haf
charge of the court in the Senate de
bate, nor of Senator Willis Of Ohio