Evening star., 1951-11-19
IA Foreign Policy for Americans
Taft Fovors World Organization to Keep Peace,
But Voices Dissatisfaction With U. N. Setup
By Senator Robert A.Ioft

UNDERGRADUATES. FuTIIeTmOre, we
would only have one vote among
so. which some time in the future,
even in the very near future, may
subject us to very arbitrary treat
ment.
Those who are blaming the
United Nations for Korea) should
much more blame the limitations
of the Charter and our own Gov
ernment for forcing United Ma
tions' action beyond its permanent
power to perform.
I believe we ought to formulate
amendments which would create
an ideal organization. But for
the present we can only make use
of the United Nations, as best
we may. as a diplomatic weapon,
and through it we may hope for
more general support of our posi-
ton against Communist aggres-
sion. Perhaps it may assist in
establishing more friendly rela-
tions with Russia.
But as far as military policy is
concerned I see no choice except
to develop our own military policy
and our own policy of alliances,
without substantial regard to the
non-eXistent power of the United
Nations to prevent aggression.
Fantastic and Dangerous.
The very adoption of the At
lantic pact seems to me to consti-
tute recognition of the impotence
of the United Nations.
The theory of an international
state. bearing the same relation
to nations and their citizens as
our Federal Government bears to
the States and their citizens, ap-
pears to me, at least in this CEN
tury, to be fantastic, dangerous
and impractical. 1t is proposed
to have a supreme legislature,
executive and court. 1t would
maintain an all-poWerful military
force able to dominate all nations.
1t would control all trade. all sea-
ports and all airports within the
various nations. Such a state, in
my opinion, would fall to pieces
in 10 years.
The whole idea is based on the
union of the l3 Colonies in 1887.
But those Colonies were made up
of men of similar origin, similar
methods Of thought. similar ideals,
with similar forms of government.
They lived approximately the
same kind of life. with similar
standards of living. Even in that
case one single difference resulted
in a violent civil war about IS
years later which almost destroyed
the Union.
Here We would be attempting
to unite peoples who do not un-
derStand even how their new fell
low citizens begin to think; we
would join denocracies with die
tatorships, Moslem states with
Christian states. the Brahmin
with the Rotarian, men who talk
only japanese with men who talk
only English. We would attempt
to unite the most highly civilized
with the aborigines, the workman
who earns $40 a day with the
coolie who earns 20 cents a day.
The difficulties of holding together
such a Tower of Babel under one
direct government would be in
superable.
Held Threat to Liberty.
Any one who suggests such a
plan IS proposing an end to that
liberty which has produced in this
country the greatest happiness,
the greatest production, the high
est standard Of living the world
has ever seen. He is proposing
to tear up the American Constitu-
ton, which has made this Nation
the greatest power for good in
the world. setting an example of
successful popular rule to the en-
tire world.
Most people who think care
lessly Of a world state seem to
think that 1t would be run by
the United States. But we, of
course. would have a very minor
voice in the character OF legisla-
Ition. We would be the natural
target Of all other nations for
taxation and all kinds of economic
discrimination.
The controversies which would
arise IN trying to pass legislation
would almost certainly produce
hundreds of disputes which could
easily lead to war between con-
stltuent states. for civil war is as
possible as any other war. Most
such disputes would never arise
at all under a covenant between
nations admitted to be sovereign
in their own territory. The plan
would promote war instead of
preventing it.
Any international organization
which is worth the paper it is
written on must be based on re-
tanning the sovereignty of all
states. Peace must be sought not
by destroying and consolidating