Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-01
Johnson's Attack.

----$~AoNp-%-----
Johnson's Attack.
Senator Hiram johnson Of California
has issued a statement strongly attack
ing the Root formula for the entry Of
the United States into the World Court.
Gould anything else be expected from
the senior Senator from California? He
was one Of the seventeen Senator's who
voted against the entry of the United
States INTO the World Court, even with
the reservations, on January %, 1926.
It would be out of character for him
now to agree to the Root formula or
any other formula which would take
this country into the World Court.
It is the World Court itself, or rather
to the entry of the United States into
the World Court as now constituted,
that Senator johnson opposes. He con-
siders the court merely an adjunct Of
the League Of Nations, and, irreconcila-
bic that he Is, he demands that the
United States remain outside the tri-
bunal. Indeed, Immediately after the
vote was taken in the Senate more than
three years ago, Senator johnson de-
livered TRADE against the action of
the Senate, and predicted that entry
into the World Court would be only a
forerunner to entrance into the League
of Nations itself.
Three Republican Presidents have
urged that the United States become a
member Of the World Court-Harding,
Coolidge and Hoover, the last named in
his inaugural address. The late Presi-
dent Wilson, Democrat, who had SO
much to do with the drafting of the
covenant Of the League of Nations,
sponsored the World Court along with
the League. President Harding on Feb
ruary "a, 1928, sent to the Senate spe-
cial message urging that body to advise
and consent to the entry of the United
States into the court. It was approx
mately three years later that the SEN
ate finally voted, rs to II, for adherence
to the court with reservations. One Of
these reservations, dealing with adj
visory opinions of the court, proved I'M
acceptable to powerful member nations
Of the court. For that reason the entry
of the United States into the court as
member has never been consummated.
The United States has taken the lead,
through the Kellogg multilateral treaty,
in the movement to renounce war as
a means Of settling international dis
putes. 1t has been quite obvious that
If war is to vanish out Of the picture,
some other means Of settling interna-
tional disputes in an orderly and eff
fective manner must be devised. The
World Court is believed to be proper
instrumentality. Steps have been taken
to bring the member nations of the
court to agree to the entry Of this
country into that tribunal. Elihu Roots
visit to Europe and attendance upon
the commission which has redrafted
some of the rules Of the court pro-
cedure occurred after consultation with
the Coolidge administration, Mr.. Hoo
yer and members Of the Senate foreign
relations committee.
In view Of the position taken by SEN
ator Johnson and others of the old
group which fought the entry of the
United States into the League Of Ma
tons against the entry Of this country
into the World Court when the reso-
luton of ratification was before the
Senate in 1926, it Is to be expected that
Senator johnson and the others will
oppose the acceptance of the Root for
mula. They are against any formula
that would bring this country into the
World Court. An examination of the
list Of those who voted against the res
olution Of ratification shows that SEN
ator Borah, chairman of the foreign
relations committee, and Senator Wat
son Of Indiana, the new Republican
leader Of the Senate, both opposed the
resolution, even with the reservations
which finally blocked the entry Of
America into the court. It is a fore
gone conclusion that another fight will
be staged against the new proposal,
known as the Root formula, when the
Senate gets down to work on the prop
osition. Opponents Of the League of Ma
tioas and Of the World Court have
succeeded in preventing the entry Of
the United States into either, through
the plan Of adopting reservations-res-
ervations which would appeal to a con-
siderable number Of American citizens
ana against which 1t has been difficult
for members Of the Senate to vote. It
Is likely that similar course will be
followed If the matter comes up in the
Senate again.
Some day, unless international con-
hict should interfere, the United States
will in all probability become . member
Of an International Court of Justice. It
Is an idea that has been nourished by
many great Americans-that interna-
tional disputes should be settled through
judicial procedure.
Alcoholic beverage has managed to
figure In all kinds Of demonstrations
from police court INQUIRIES to Diplomatic