The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1943-10-07

tain forces by land, sea and air so
strong that no future aggressor will
think of attacking an Empire which
includes a quarter of mankind. Such
attacks must always mean world
wars. But | go further and say that
the time is gone when any one free
people, even that of the United States,
can do what Britain did in the 10Th
century, and maintain a shield behind
which free communities can live I'M
challenged In this mechanical age,
this can only be done when the free
communities have created a govern
ment for their common defense
which for that purpose has a first
charge on all their resources.
Having so stated the problem as |
see it, | appeal to my fellow citizens
in the United Kingdom to demand that
in future the British Government
should face and acknowledge the evil
dent truth, that no government which
commands resources limited to Great
Britain and Northern Ireland can
renGer one quarter of mankind i'm
mune from attacks which also mean
world wars. If Britain is to discharge
the tasks to which it is now pledged
in the Atlantic Charter, it can only do
so through a government which COM
mands resources wider than those of
the British Isles, and must, therefore,
be responsible to the people who pro-
vide those wider resources.
| do not say this to people in the
Dominions or other Allied countries.
but | ask that my Government should
say it. | want them also to say that
free nations can prevent future wars
in so far as they make themselves too
strong for aggressors to think of at
lacking them; but this they can only
do by creating an international gov
eminent entrusted with the duty of
their common defense, with a first
charge on all their resources for that
purpose. This charge can be distrib-
uted to each nation in proportion to
its taxable capacity, on a system
which would leave the control of the
taxpayer and another where it now is
with each existing national govern
ment This can be done in such man
ner as to leave the existing national
governments in control of their own
domestic stats, including tariffs and
migration.
National governments can never
overtake the present arrears of social
reform until they can think of that
and nothing else; and this they can
only do when the task is placed on an
international government really COM
petent for the purpose. But that inter
national government must draw its
authority from the citizens of all
those nations and not from their ma
tlonal governments, as in the League
Of Nations. That was the lesson which
Washington taught to the Is Confed-
crate States-a lesson which the world
at large has now to learn and apply
1t is for US in Britain first to offer
to try such a plan with the other SOW
ereign and Independent states of the
British Commonwealth. If and when
the democracieS Of the Netherlands
and Scandinavia ask us to guarantee
them against further enslavement by
Germany or any other continental
power, | think that our Government
should point out how useless such a
guarantee has twice proved in the
case Of Belgium. should invite them
to consider with us and the other Brit
ish democracies the creation of an in
ternational government which in
cludes them all, government charged
with the common defense, with first
charge on all their resources.
| believe that if some or all of
these British and west European de-
mocracies tried such plan, each ma
tional government would then find it.
self free as never before to cope with
the tasks of social reform. Then, in
course Of time, the vast democracy of
the United States would realize that
national government, instead of los
ing control of its own domestic af-
fairs, can increase such control i'm
measurably by entering such an in
ternational system. Whenever such an
international state has come to include
the American as well as the British
Commonwealth-then and then only
the fear Of war will be banished from
the earth. An international Common
wealth which has once included Amer
lea will be strong and stable enough