Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-09-02
THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS
It Already Exists in the Purposes Of the
People Of the Nations

To the Editor OF u III Evening Public Ledger:
Slr-A certain Dreamer" once upon .
time, had queries put to him by various per-
sons, among them one much concerned over
. lady who should successfully marry seven
brothers who were kind enough to die 30
as not to involve her IN marital bigamy or
wors.; and the ques,ioner wanted to know
about the heavenly consequences when al
should arrive. The Dreamer" replied, indi-
eating that the underlying factor the
fundamental question: was overlooked
namely. heaven claimed no jurisdiction IN
such cases.
Mr.. Harris. In his criticism of the distin-
guished novelist, Mr.. Welh. and myself. In
your issue of the 22d, falls into a similar
error when he objects to 1857 as an anal.
ogy" to a United Nations" Of today. AS
for myself, not desiring to speak for Mr..
Wells, 1 do not consider it an analogy
it is an illustration of the great "funda.
mental principles of democracy, that all
government springs from Individual SOW
creiKnty, acting through majority expires.
sion. This is the new American political
science that Is fast becoming recognized
as a universal and political science. The
people of countries, Of States, OF nations, OF
all nations. are the sovereigns, WITH right
and power to change countries. states. ma
tions and world governments as they Will.
Constitutions are not sovereigns; they are
the creation Of people-people covering ally
amount of territory the people themselves
choose, be it countryside. State-size. nation-
size or world size.
This Fundamental fact Of American pclit-
teal science, first formulated by James VIII
son, but acted upon by the fathers OF ITS
az. was the fruit Of a twelve years REVOLT
tion. and II was confirmed by a civil war
that lasted from 1851 to about 1879. 1t Ia
the greatest contribution Of America to the
yorld-a discovery In political science SO
great that it produces revolutions Wherever
It Is accepted. 1t says: Government comes
from below, not from above; government Ia
eelf.government." The State. nation or United
Nations Gas poor a term as United States.
which is also a relic of the defunct league
idea) Is merely a product OF the sovereign
people. The sovereign people o. PENNEY e. s
choose. The sovereign people OF Delaware
and Maryland can unite in one State II they
choose. The people OF the United states can
create two nations out OF themselves III
thew choose-but they chose not to do 80 In
1861. 1t was the people of the United
states" not. of the separate States OF
America, which ordained our nation, and the
majority have a right to enforce their de.
| cision. Majority is as vital a principle OF
democracy as individual sovereignty itself
even though some people seem to forget 1t,
tncluding the I. w. w, the Bolsheviki, GER
tain capitalists and many a conservative
'good citizen" who thinks the majority should
rule, certainly. provided 1t is MS majority, Oh
1 nnnTlh NO N"h sN'~N
snonsibility-for right and the good of all
any other course breeds political disease and
revolution.
In ITS II was not the colonies that arose
u was the people spontaneously uprising In
an informal Congress; and. excepting as q
Temporary accommodation to France. we
never had anything else, until the people
nrdained a Constitution a dozen years later
a. today it is the majority Of people OF the
world who have Almost as spontaneously
r,sen as the people did then; and for the
same reason, namely, that a great menace tc
Individual sovereignty arose. In Germany
an avowed menace. TITS still an uprising OF
the neople governments are merely admin
t%strating the peoples VIII: it is all as in
snrnaI as II wal in 177S - no treaty Of
t~reaties creating a 'league"; the people arr
tha Allies, doing things Of great moment OF
Were request of administrators. This wal
Ia a combination Of both our Revolution ant
C,vi, War the people of the world-al WHIT
haya been able to organize national govern
ment-wil no longer live in a world wlthou
government, where Prussian bandits can ter
ror,ze the highways. They will first see tina
mat bandit nation Internationally surren
dsra and is properly punished. They will
then have no incompetent Hague Court" 81
called, without law or executive power. whicl
wti have a real red-blooded government
resting on individuals, or the people (no
,hs ~nations) who are fighting this war. !
won't be a world nation " as Mr.. Harris mis-
,akenly calls It, and certainly not
.Iea9ue." so called, because that Implies tina
a. viii rest on nations instead of individuals
Thu terms state" and .nation" ara no,
,ocal terms; we have no word for the ne,
xoyernmsnt to be created. and must create Z