Evening star., 1948-05-02
Sentiment
Grows for
WOr|dRuIe
q Nations and IL
States Back the
Movement
By Clarke Beech
BY Clarke Beech

citizens movements of our time is
the spreading sentiment for world
government.
A variety Of organizations are
springing up throughout the coun-
try. Many advocate different meth
DDS, but all agree that only some
kind Of international federation will
prevent duel with atom bombs.
Many cities and towns have or
ganized petition campaigns, inde-
pendent of the national organiza-
tions. They have thousands OF
signatures to pleas to the President
or Congress to make a start on
whatever action might be necessary
to link the world into one COM
munity.
Move Spreads Abroad
Similar movements are spreading
abroad even faster than here. One
international organization alone
the World Movement for World
Federal Government. has affiliated
movements in % countries-nearly
one-third Of all the nations on the
globe.
The new constitutions of France
and Italy have articles providing
that they will agree to limitations
on their national sovereignty, in
order to form a world federation
on basis Of equality with all other
states.
American politics have not YET
been affected strongly by it, but
about 40 resolutions favorIng world
government are pending before the
House Foreign Affairs Committee
More are awaiting action in the
Senate Foreign Relations Commit
tee.
Fifteen State Legislatures have
adopted resolutions approving world
governments North Carolina, New
Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut
Rhode Island, Alabama, Virginia,
Louisiana, Tennessee, Utah. Okla
homa, New Hampshire, Florida
Georgia and Missouri. In 10 addi-
tional States, one house of the
Legislature has passed such a reso-
luton.
Harold e. Stassen was the first
presidential candidate to say fatty
that he wanted the U. N. Charter
rewritten so that the U. N. would
become strong enough to function
as world government.
Another presidential aspirant,
Henry A. Wallace, told the Senate
Armed Services Committee that
Russia and the United States should
join in q federation able to police
the world.
OAR Is Opposed
Plenty of Americans, nevertheless,
are opposed to the plan. The
Daughters Of the American Revo-
luton strongly dissent from the
idea OF "supergovernment" which
would limit American sovereignty
and voiced this opposition in a
resolution at the Fifty-seventh
Congress in Washington April %.
Communists, both in this country
and Russia, are scornful of the world
government idea-in curious con-
trast to their prewar party line,
when they sponsored or inflltrated
many of the most influential inter-
national peace organizations.
The world government plan. they
say, diverts attention from the real
conflicts in society, among which
they list class struggle and economic
problems.
World government advocates are
not Pacifists. Practically all ar
IDENTIFY favor preparedness steps
necessary to insure United States
security during the period the world
union is being formed.
Federalist Group Grows
Largest of the world government
organizations is the United World
Federalist, with 168 chapters in 33
States and the District of Columbia.
It's affiliated Student Federalists has
l65 chapters in colleges and high
schools in the same number of
States.
The United World Federalists
want a complete world government,
to be accomplished, if possible,
through strengthening of the United
Nations.
The 1850 convention is the pri-
mary aim of another large move
ment, the Peoples World Consti-
tutional Convention. It's afiliates
include the Action for World Fed
Grafton, World Republic and the
Campaign for World Government.
Legion lndorses Plan
Ely Culbertson. the bridge ex-
pert, heads the Citizens Committee
for United Nations Reform. Mr..
CulbertSon believes that if some
kind of federation cannot be achiev-
ed quickly, it will be too late to
prevent another war.
The American Legion has in
dorsed the principle of this plan,
and :ts program has been adopted
by one of the most vigorous of the
local movements, the Middletown
(Ohio) Citizens Committee.
The CulbertSon idea is also es-
sentially the program of Columnist
Dorothy Thompson's World Organi-
Estion of Mothers of All Nations.
Clarence Streit's movement, Fed
eral Union. looks forward to eventu-
al world federation but doubts it
can be accomplished in time.
DR.. Robert c. Hutchins, chancellor
of the University of Chicago, heads
the Committee to Frame a World
Constitution. After two years work
he and 10 other prominent educa-
tors completed the draft of their