The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-12-30

the farmers, the professional men,
shall be represented in the delega-
ton elected by each legislative body.
.'The object Of this parliament
would be to take possession of the for
eign relations of the peoples, to take
them out of the hands Of the explicit
ing groups, and to put them direct
ly into the, hands of the people
through their representatives. This
body need not prove unmanageably
large. If there were twenty or thirty
from each people, that would be a
number sufficient to represent it. Our
congresses today number five or six
hundred.
Mote the distinction between this
idea and what is called the democrat
lie control of foreign policy. This
latter idea means that in each coun-
try the congress or parliament shall
have a closer grip on foreign affairs;
that the Foreign Minister or Secre-
tary Of State shall not keep secrets,
that the representatives Of the people
shall be informed Of all vital matters
which have a direct influence on for
eign, policy. But this is not at all
what I have here in view. The plan
just stated has advantages, but the for
eign policy in each country would still
be dominated by the controlling inter-
ests. In the United States as well as
elsewhere, the exploiting, trading
class has been largely in control of the
legislatures; and it is the easiest thing
in the world for such g class to sweep
legislative body off it's base-to
spread the idea that the national hon
or has been violated, and to create q
storm of passion among the people
that leads right on to war. The pro-
posed democratic control within each
country is inadequate What have
In mind is q very different thing,
namely that theipeoples OF the differ
emit countries should come together by
representation in one great assembly.
1t Is contact between people and peo-
pie on which the stress is to be put,
not each people deciding for itself on
the perusaI of partial statements OF
the rights and wrongs Of its own and
other nations. There is apt to be pre-
Judgment on either side, each parlia-
ment being at the mercy of one-sided
champions, the case of the other side
being presented only in the white
book-each Foreign Minister present
ing his own case to parliament from
his own point of view.
Function Of the Parliament.
..What is needed is that the people
should come together face to face,
and should listen to- each other, and
learn to appreciates the other side,
The parliament of pnrliaments would
have as it's function to root out grad
ually the vestiges of ancient wrong,
and to lay the fearful ghosts. It would
be its concern to provide reasonably
for the economic expansion OF every
nation, so that none should trample
upon its competitor or shut him out
from light and air. It should en-
deavor to establish the Open Door in
fact, and not merely in name, to Sc
cure the Observation-Disclosures of GER
tain seaport towns to make provision
for an open sea-road, and where pro-
tectorates are necessary, to secure OBJ
servance of the condition that they
shall be temporary, as ours is in the
Philippines, and that there shall be
emancipatory education of the back
ward peoples. Above all, there would
be an ordinance Of self-denial with re-
gard to the territory and property of
the weaker peoples of the world. Not
only the Philippines for the FiHpinos,
but China for the Chinese, etc. This
is the foundation of justice which is
missing among the civilized nations.
The quarTels which it is proposed to
settle are disputes between the ex-
ploiters as to their respective shares
Of the booty. When the pIhnderers
60 <,,,f r{es Il to- ~ ~
draw the sword for the right in the
name Of mankind and peace. But
what proposition! What calam-
the lead of this will-o'-the-wisp.
"A parliament OF parliaments such
as I am advocating here would be de-
signed to. ameliorate relations grad
ually and continually And in any sit
uation where war is or might be
threatened, the representatives of
parties who are on the brink Of con-
f1ict would sit face to face within the
bosom Of this larger assembly, would
look each other in the eye, listen to
each other, and each in turn present
/ their own case, in their own language
present their own conception of the
rights and wrongs of the quarrel not
/ through one-sided white books or
green books, or through diplomatic
agents, but English laborers speak
ing to German laborers, iEnglish mer-
chants to German merchants, English
scholars to German scholars face to
face, each stating in the presence OF
the other what he believes to be right,
and surrounded by the great assembly
which represents the worlds peoples
Such conformation. such man-to-man
discussion, would lead to a sensing by
each Of the others point Of view, and
to the possibility of fairness and &C.
commodation.
A Step Toward Popular Government
"And a parliament Of parliaments
would speed up the tendency towards
popular government throughout man.
kind. It is certainly the case that
whenever more inclusive, representa-
| tive bodies are formed, the result is to
make them more popular Municipal
councils, like the Zemstvos in Rus.
STA, are the beginning of popular
rights and education Of the people ir
the conception of responsibility. II
Germany, when the Reichstag was
created, 1t was necessary to gran
universal suffrage. The parliament OF
parliaments will have the effect of still
more. widely extending popular sover.
eighty. 1t will react upon the move.