Evening star., 1935-01-30
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Minority Rule.


tions in their attempt to build up a
permanent court of international
justice. A minority of the Senate
and a minority of the people insist
upon this position. The tail wags the
dog. Under the terms of the Consti-
tuition it requires two-thirds vote of
the Senate to ratify treaties and
protocols negotiated with other ma
tions by the Executive. When the
Senate yesterday cast vote of So
to So in favor of American adherence
to the World Court the requisite two
thirds vote was lacking, although a
substantial majority had supported
ratification OF the protocols.
In the light of the protestations for
peace and against armament and war
that flow SO glibly from the mouths of
Americans the course to which a
minority of the Senate has committed
the Nation is scarcely consistent.
Some of the opponents Of American
entry into the Permanent Court of
International Justice-Which is the
official title of the World Court-in-
sist that they could draft statute for
such court and set up a tribunal
which would be entirely satisfactory
to them, and, of course, to the Ma
ton. 1t is a matter of little impor-
tance to them that the ideas and
feelings of other nations may not en-
tirely run on all fours with their own
conception of court of international
justice. The existing court has been
built along sound lines. 1t has a rec
ord of accomplishment back of it.
American rights were amply safe
guarded by the reservations adopted,
to an extent that no case in which this
country had an interest could be
brought before the court for adjudi-
cation or for an advisory opinion
without the consent of the United
States.
This country-at the behest of or
ganized minorities-has turned its
back on the Court of International
Justice. The opponents of the Court
will continue to prate of peace. Some
of them will demand that the Army
and Navy appropriations be cut to the
bone, although the fact that the alter
natives for courts of justice, in settling
disputes, are battleShipS, aircraft car
riers, submarines and men trained in
the art of war might be expected to
penetrate their consciousness. If there
is to be no reliance on the Court, let
us at least prepare and look to ma
tional defense.
Entry into the Permanent Court of
International Justice has been politi-
cal question in this country in the
past. Not all the opponents of the
Court have been governed by partisan
ship. Some of them are convinced
that a policy of isolation for the
United States is best. Party politics
has played its role, however, despite
the fact that adherence to the Court
has been recommended by both Re-
publican and Democratic Presidents.
The fact that the Court proposal has
been defeated will be hailed as a de-
feat for President Roosevelt, and his
critics will take some pleasure from
the result. 1t is true that twenty Sena-
tors of his own party voted against
ratification of the protocols. The very
fact that division of such large pro-
portions occurred in the Democratic
ranks made it the more easy to strike
at the President through the vote on
the Court.
The vote in the Senate yesterday, it
Is claimed, has set at rest for years to
come any proposal that the United
States join the World Court. 1t is
probably true and certainly regrettable.