The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1949-04-18
NOT AN AMERICAN DECLARATION

tashkAs&n on the So-caiieu gOeclaTattoh OF
Human Rights. which win 90 before the
General Assembly of the United Nations.
Mrs. Franklin d. Roosevelt told her lis
seners that Russia would watch Ameri.
can reaction TO the proposed covenant"
We presume that the lady thought
that the statement constituted an argu-
naent in favor of what she advocates hut we
are unable 10 see why the people OF the
United States should form any conclusion
upon any issue upon the assertion that
Russia, or any other nation or peoples.
watches uS.
Some serious criticism of the proposed
Declaration has come from the American
Bar Association. Mr. Frank +. Holman.
former President OF the Association.
pointed out the defects in the documents
mere than year ago, His argument. in
eur opinion. is unanswerable.
MIR. Holman pointed out that the
United Nations is an organization of states.
whereas bill of rights relates TO the re-
latlonS between governments and citizens
and that the so-called covenant does not
pretend to include or protect many rights
that our own Bill of Rights secures"
He makes clear that the effort to set
up an International bill of rights differs
from our instrument in that whereas the
American bill of Rights protects the
individual citizen from the entertainments
Of his own government, ''the United Ma
tionS document seeks to impose so-called
economic and social duties upon govern
ment. the fulfillment of which viii require
planned economy and control by gov
eminent of individual action.
The danger that exists. according to
those that have studied the matter, is
that the United Nations will seek to have
member nations approve the declaration
as a treaty. which will give it the force
of law in this country. Consequently, if
there is any conflict between it and our
Constitution. the international document
will take precedence. =.
We should not overlook the fact, point
ed out by DR.. Holman, that the eighteen
members of the Commission included
only three Anglo-Americans. or repre-
sentatives of English-speaking peoples.
IL the United States permits its rights
and duties TO be set up by an interna-
tional commission, upon which the An
glo-Americans constitute a very small
minority. the conclusions of the Commits
sion will be those of the representatives of
other lands and peoples.
This is clearly apparent, when we
realize that the commission which drafted
the pact which Mrs. Roosevelt advocates,
included representatives from the Soviet
Republics, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Le,-
banon, the Philippines, Yugoslavia, Chile,
Panama, and Uruguay. Other non-English-
speaking representatives were from Bel
gium and France.
Ii should be noted that none of the
representatives from the countries are
familiar with the principles of freedom
that have come to the world through
descent from the Anglo-American peo-
Piles. In none of them, so far as we know,
are there the freedoms which the Ameri-
can Bill of Rights provides for the eiti-
gems Of this country.
Obviously, it is absurd to permit rep
resentatives from such areas to set them
selves up as the trainers of an interna-
tional document, purporting to give the
peoples of the world freedoms which the
members of the commission are unable to
enjoy i'm their own country