National Affairs: Election-Year Casualty

On a 9-to-7 vote, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week postponed "to a later time" (translation: to a later session of Congress) any hopeful attempt to repeal the so-called Connally Reservation of 1946, a roadblock to effective U.S. use of the World Court for settling international disputes. Both President Eisenhower and Vice President Nixon had sought the abolition as a step toward world rule of law. Secretary of State Christian Herter and Attorney General William P. Rogers took strong stands in testimony before the committee. The move to repeal was sponsored by Minnesota's Hubert Humphrey, had the support of other key Democrats. More than half the Senate favored abolition.

But the reservation, superimposed on the resolution that commits the U.S. to participation in the World Court, can be abolished only by a treaty-ratifying two-thirds vote of the Senate. Party leaders polled members, found too many up-for-election Senators afraid to stand on a hot issue not yet understood by millions of voters. Rather than suffer a damaging defeat, the Humphrey amendment's supporters decided to mark time.