The Wilmington morning star., 1945-04-15
Justice In Broad Sense
BY ARTHUR KROCK

BY ARTHUR KROCK
| WASHINGTON, April 1.-THE accent or
justice for human beings as well groups
and nations which, it is now said, the Ameri-
can delegation to the UNCIO at San Francis
CO will seek to insert in the draft Of Dunbar
ton Oaks has a long ancestry in the state
papers of this nation and of the United King
dom. Senator Vandenberg, who offered this
| suggestion in several of his proposed amend
ments to the draft, pointed out that it is
found in the preamble to the American Con-
sttution.
But much more recently the theme, as a
basic objective of world security league
was stressed by the Senator and fellowRe-
publcans. In their party platform of 1914,
the emphasis is stronger and definition broad
err than in the Democratic platform that fol-
lowed, though there was manifestly no parti-
san difference of opinion on Mr. Vandenbergs
belief that such an "enterprise' as the pro-
jected league must depend for acceptance
and enduring quality 'far more on moral
authority than on force" Nevertheless, this
point was larger in the minds of the Repub-
lican platform writers than in those of their
rivals.
Senator Austin, who was the principal
craftsman of the foreign policy statements
in the Republican platform, carefully put the
word peace before the word force to
illustrate the view that the military strength
of the International association should be en-
ployed primarily to achieve the high ends
of Justice And through his context the
same thread runs:
We believe, however, that peace and
security do not depend on the sanction
of force alone but should prevail by virtue
of reciprocal interests and spiritual values
recognized in these security agreements.
The treaties of peace should be just 4.
Of ha
should promote world opinion to in
fluence the nations to right conduct (anO
develop international law.
The platform also endorsed, as did the
Democratic, creation under the league of a
world court to render organized, legal JUS
tice. But, as the above passage demonstrates,
much broader kind was also in view.
The Democrats called for a Just and
lasting peace in the spirit of the Atlantic
Charter and the Four Freedoms-and the
Justice which the Republicans then and now
are emphasizing is implicit in this call, as
also in the draft of Dumbarton Oaks. But
Mr. Austin made it explicit in the platform
planks he wrote at Chicago, and Mr.. Vanden-
berg proposes that the charter of the United
Nations shall be equally SO.
With this purpose, he would add the follow
ing to the defined detectives of the new
league: 'To establish justice and to promote
respect for human rights and fundamental
freedoms And apparently, accepting his
general position that it is better to state than
to imply, the American delegation is to go
along with him.
81 see no reason" wrote Mr.. Vandenberg
in support of this amendment, why the Eco
nonic and Social Council proposed as SUBJ
division of the league should be the only
branch interested in the creation of
conditions of stability and well-being." And
- fl,oM Mot, r1~%,- IL
Government: The absence of the sentence he
would add is very striking; embodiment
in the text of a pledge that "some standard
of justice will always be observed would go
a long way toward disspating anxieties"; and
lit appears difficult to why, if the thing
is self-evident, there could be any objection
to making such a statement
Pursuing his point, he proposed to insert
''justice'' in three other places where the
Dumbarton Oaks conferees omitted it. And
his seventh amendment would instruct the
Security Council, if it shall find "injustice''
in any situation Ito Recommend appropriate
measures of adjustment which may include
revision of treaties and of prior international
DECISIONS
Mr.. Vandenberg may have to be content
with more restrictive language in the addi-
tons that seem likely to be made to the
Dumbarton Oaks draft with respect to the
emphasis on broad justice for individuals
groups and nations as primary objective
of the league. But the emphasis will surely
be there, as Mr.. Austin made sure it was
in the platform plank he wrote. And, prior
and subsequent to these efforts Mr.. Hoover
and Hugh Gibson proposed it in their books
and articles on the same subject.
| The words are, of course, only words. And
if the great nations on which the new league
will depend for success do not enter upon the
task in the spirit of those words, and nurture
that spirit, what Mr.. Vandenberg is urging
may as well be out of as in the charter
1t is also obvious that if this spirit exists
and persists the reiteration of the word Jus
tice'' will be in the minor category of effect
and not in the major of cause In that
condition also the words might as well be
out as in.
| But, as the sound and solid Dutch have
pointed out, the specific pledge and the broad
definition will Ego long way toward dis
sipating anxieties' in the minds of those per
sons and nations whose experience makes it
difficult to believe the strong have learned
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