The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1926-01-28
THE WORLD COURT
'(Great Falls Tribune)

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Swanson resolution calling on the president to ioir
the world court set up by the League of Nations
subject to certain reservations. Senator Swanson
of Virginia is the ranking minority member of the
foreign relations committee of the senate. Senator
ROrah is its chairman, and being opposed to the
resolution it fell to the lot of Senator Swanson to
report the majority finding of the committee to the
senate, the chairman and some others dissenting.
On the final vote only two democrats Joined with
Senator BOrah in opposition. They were Reed of
Missouri and Senator Blease of South Carolina. The
republican senators against it were BOrah, Brook
hart, Fernald, Frazier, Harreld, johnson, LaFol-
lette, Moses, Nye, Pine, Robinson, Schall, Watson
and Williams, a total Of IA. Senator Shipstead, far
mer-LabOr, also voted against the resolution. A
total of 40 republicans and SO democrats voted for
it, a total Of rs, and IA more than were necessary
to give it the needed two-thirds majority.
The president is now requested by the senate
to take the needed diplomatic steps to make this
nation a member of the world court subject to the
reservations attached to the resolution. No other
nation which has joined the world court has done
so with any such reservations. There are AZ mem
Der nations already, and our understanding is that
the consent Of each of them is necessary before The
United States can be admitted with the special
rights reserved which go with the resolution. One
of these is that the United States does not assume
any legal obligation toward the League of Nations
in joining the court. Another limits the jurisdiction
Of the court as to questions with which the United
States is concerned. It is not to be lightly assumed
that the nations already in the court will consent to
our coming in on those terms. Other member ma
tiOns may be included to demand similar exception
al rights as the price of their consent. It is possible
that the court may decline to admit us on the terms
proposed. Yet the nations comprising the League
Of Nations and the international court Of Justice
have been so anxious to have the United States Join
with them that it is generally thought they will ac-
cep the reservations made on the theory that they
are not likely to have any practical effect, and that
joining the world court is only a first step on the
part of the United States oWard joining the League
of Nations, as Senator Borah and several other op-
ponents of the Swanson resolution have maintained.
Much Of the debate in the senate over the resolu-
ton centered around just that point. Senators
Walsh and Borah made the chief arguments, each
devOting several days to their arguments. Senator
Walsh took the administration side, and argued that
the International court found its authority on the
statute OF the court and was independent of the
League of Nations, and Senator BOrah arguing that
it was conceived by the League of Nations, brought
forth by that body, and its whole life and action
bound up with the life of the League of Nations.
Perhaps a middle course between the two argu-
ments would come nearer to fitting the facts of the
case than either one taken separately, but we can
not help agreeing with the opponents of the world
court, as far as their proposition that this action is
a first step toward the League of Nations goes. So
far as that is concerned we are glad of it and would
willingly see our government go the whole journey
and enter the League of Nations as Woodrow Will
son intended us to do. That may account for the
fact that only two democrats voted against the
Swanson resolution. A good many, if not quite all,
democrats who voted with the administration would
also have voted to join the League Of Nations had $
that been up for a vote. Very few Of the republican =
would have joined them however on such
?
The proposal to join the world court disposed
If last Wednesday by the senate has been before L
body for about three years. The foreign rela-
ions committee of the senate was ORIGINALLY stuffed
anti-Wilson senators through the efforts of
'eLdJOI LOuSe dAu OMlCi GIN " tHC SledO Pt0o- la
lent. By death and the action Of their c%onstitu- g