The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-11-26
KEEPING UP
With
THE Me- WIS
BY LUDWELL DENNY


VIVA HIN G TON, Nov. 26.--
w American and foreign Dip
lomats here are mystihed by re-
ports of senators at Saturdays
White House sausage breakfast that
the President has begun or is about
to begin negotiations for American
adherence to the world court.
These diplomats have no knowl-
edge of any actual or contemplated
negotiations of the kind. They can
not understand the reported desire
of Coolidge to begin negotiations,
which would have to be completed
by Hoover.
They had anticipated European
efforts to break the present dead
lock, but only after March 4, when
a new President and secretary of
state are in Office.
The deadlock is over senate
reservations, which in effect give
the United States veto power over
advisory opinions of the court.
The deferred Gillett resolution.
proposing resumption of such world
court negotiations, is on the cal
endar of the first meeting of the
senate foreign relations committee.
If Coolidge actually intends to
take the initiative out of the hands
of the senate, he only is not re-
versing a fixed custom, but also
reversing his own previous position.
This seems so improbable to the
diplomats that they are inclined
to doubt the accuracy Of senatorial
reports carried away from the
sausage breakfast.
1t is suggested tentatively that
perhaps all Coolidge had in mind
was the idea that the senate this
session should not continue to ig-
more his friend Gillett's resolution,
as it did last session.
The President might thus con-
ceivably aid passage of the Gillett
resolution. But even so, that would
constitute nonmandatory. advice to
the Hoover administration, rather
than to Coolidge,
Il II T.
THE President and other officials
4 are known to have been under
heavy pressure from pro-world
court organizations, including the
American Foundation, of Box prize
fame, which yesterday began pub
licity campaign for the Gillett reso-
luton.
Curiously enough, Coolidge has
been an extreme irreconcilable, hav-
ing taken the position repeatedly in
public addresses that the senate
reservations to United States adher-
ence to the court were a take-it-or-
leave-it matter.
Secretary of State Kellogg, in re-
fusing the invitation of European
governments to attend a joint con-
ference to discuss the senate reser-
vations, stated officially in his notes
that the executive branch of the
American government he's no
authority to modify or interpret
senate reservations.
Senator Borah, chairman OF
the foreign relations committee,
takes the same position. In side
tracking the Gillett resolution last
session, he said on the senate floor:
1--WE have arrived at the place
where the foreign governments eth
er must accept reservation No. 5 or
the senate must recede from its
position, an altogether impossible
thing.
1.-THE president has no power to
modify the reservations, and cannot
even construe them. Those who
desire progress will have to bring
the protocol and reservations back
to the senate, to make whatever
notifications of reservation No. S
it would be possible to make.
my opinion is that there Is no
one on the foreign relations COM
mittee who believes in a modifica-
ton, and that there are perhaps
none in the senate who do"
n n
1T generally is admitted here that
L there is no prospect of the sem
ate modifying reservation No. 5.
Therefore, any negotiations would
appear fruitless until the European
governments are really to reverse
their positions and accept that res
ervation.
Some well-informed persons here
expect the deadlock to be broken
finally by court decision that I'M
animous action of the league coun-
Gil is necessary in asking the court
for advisory opinions. Such decision
would give every member nation Of
the council a power of veto.
Whether individual cuncil men,
berS have that veto power now is
in dispute The European powers,
in reply to the senate reservation,
said they we're willing to give the
United States equal power with
other council members.
Reservation No. provides that
the court shall not-without con-
sent of the United States-"enter-
tain any request for an advisory
opinion touching any dispute or
question in which the United States
has or claims an interest"
Since the United States can
claim" an interest in any subject
under the sun, that reservation gives
it an effective veto over all requests
for court advisory opinions. Wash
ington obviously would exercise that
veto over most if not all latin
American questions.