The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1940-11-28
Plan for Federal Union of Democracies'
Would Unite English-Speaking Nations
By Frank Parker Stockbridge

(The author of this article has made
a study OF the "Federal Union" plan
and his pietUs on il are presented
herewith. His opinions are not nee
essarily those OF this newspaper
For a year and a half now
people have been hearing talk
about a Federal Union of De-
mocracies. Now that the three
great relationships, Germany,
Italy and Japan, have ganged
up together for the express pur-
pose of putting all the democra-
cies out of business, including
our own, we are hearing more
talk about getting together with
the other English-speaking ma
tons for the common defense.
And now that the Presidential
election is over, and folks in
public life can talk freely with
out facing the charge that what
they are talking about is par
tisan affair, we are going to
hear a great deal more about
the Federal Union plan.
The people of the United States
are already pretty solidly behind the
proposal that we must give every
possible aid to the British, in their
gallant stand to preserve the demo-
cratic ideal against the dictatorial
gangsters. Why, folk are asking,
shouldn't we go even farther and do
some ganging up ourselves? Sup
pose the people of the British Com
monwealth of Nations and of the
United States of America should
agree to pool their interests and
their resources and stand together
against the aggressor powers, how
far could Hitler, Mussolini and the
Mikado get with their project of di-
viding the earth among them?
You'd be surprised at the serious
ness with which that plan is being
discussed all over the country, by
men in high places and serious stu
dents of world affairs.
Plan Is Simple
It's simple, the Federal Union
plan; as simple as the Federal Union
under which our own Is original lit
tie nations got together $50 years
ago. The United States united
with one another to be able to do
jointly what none of them could do
separately. None of them surren-
dered any control over its internal
affairs, but in dealing with other
nations they acted as unit.
Suppose, now, the United States,
the United Kingdom, Canada, Aus
tralia, New Zealand, the Union of
South Africa and Fire all agreed to
form Federal Union. They could
do it by mutual agreement, without
changing their present forms of gov
eminent. 1t would not be an ALI
ance or league of nations. The
trouble with alliances and leagues is
that they don't work, while a real
union does. 1t was because he had
seen so many alliances and leagues
fail that Clarence K. STREET, the
American newspaper man whose
book ''Union Now" planted the Fed
eral Union idea in so many peoples
minds, pointed out that the only way
to save democracy was by real
union of peoples. Peoples, please
note-not nations.
In union of peoples, every citizen
would have equal weight with every
other citizen. If there were so men,
bers of the Inter- Continental con-
gress, which would be set up pro-
visionally until more perfect union
was formed, representation on
population basis would give the
United States q members, the Unit
ed Kingdom, IL, Canada and Aus
tralia 3 each, New Zealand, South
Africa and Fire each. The United
States would have a clear majority
over all the others put together. I
point that out to make it clear that
Federal Union is not a British