that right makes might is sound and justifies the Charter. The power of education for good is unsurpassable. The power of education for evil is a tremendous force with which we are now contending and which we have just overthrown. The Nazi organization pleaded social security, patriotism, individual self-respect, prosperity, a place for Germany in the sun, and misled the people into transferring their governing power into the hands of Hitler and the military group. When this governing power was vested in Hitler and he commanded the army as well as the Gestapo in the precinct, he led the German people into war and controlled them by fear with consequences the world now knows. I believe in the goodness of the human race. I look at our own country and the education of our people. I look at the forces for good. the mothers of this country from one end of our land to the other, teaching their children to pray as soon as they can speak, teaching them the doctrine of good behavior. I look at the number of churches in this country, over 200,000 individual churches with their officers, their Sunday schools, their teachers. I look at the fraternal organizations in this country, over 200,000-Masons, Elks, Woodmen, and very many others-all bound by the doctrine of brotherhood. I look at the college fraternal societies, I look at the Young Men's Christian Association, the Young Women's Christian Association, the Federal Council of Churches, the Boy Scouts, and the Girl Scouts. I take great pride in the National Education Association and what the association with its officials and membership have done in promoting education in this country. I take pride in what they did for the United Nations Charter and what they are doing now to sustain the Charter. I most respectfully urge that the teachers of this country be provided with compensation sufficient to attract to the teaching profession well-trained men and women. The services of trained teachers is a great national asset where maximum production in quantity and quality is a national objective. I look at the tremendous work done in abolishing illiteracy by the organized foreign-mission societies of the country, operating through a committee on world literacy: I look at the work done through teaching over 100 different communities how to read and write their own languages-China, India, the Pacific Islands, Africa, the Caribbean Sea, South America, and Mexico. Look at what Mexico is doing now in abolising illiteracy. By the 28th of February, next, it proposes by the phonetic alphabet and the "each one teach one" plan to accomplish this objective. A tremendous campaign is going on there. I call your attention to these things, because when the attack on Pearl Harbor took place, when that great tragedy occurred, I determined to perfect a mechanism by which the whole world could with ease learn to talk to each other directly. That plan is perfected. That plan I submitted to the Senate in Senate Document 49, Senate Document 133, and Senate Document 250 of the last Congress. I have presented it on many different occasions and it is now before this committee on the petition which I sent to the Senate and upon which this committee has never had an opportunity to act (S. Doc. 133), because of the demands of the World War. I knew how occupied they were and I was not insistent, because the time had not come. But the time has come now, and I am calling your attention to the fact that there is before your body a mechanism by which a Chinese can learn to speak the English language in 90 days; and the same thing is true with regard to a Russian. I do not speak lightly. I graduated in six languages nearly 70 years ago. I was taught to speak French and German before I was 16. I have had occasion to study the matter of converting audible sounds of the voice into written symbols. I am not going to take up your time further because I know that it is precious. I do not want to take up your time, but I want to leave for the record the evidence that this plan which I have offered to the Senate is supported by the best linguists of the world. The CHAIRMAN. We will be glad to have it, Senator. Senator OWEN. As another exhibit, I would like to place in the record Senate Joint Resolution 94, introduced by me in the Senate of the United States on the 23d day of August 1917, demanding an organization of the peace-loving nations of the world for the purpose of suppressing aggression and establishing peace and good will on earth (Congressional Record, p. €887.) The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much, Senator. We will be glad to publish it in the record. Senator OWEN. With your permission, I want to pay one tribute to Woodrow Wilson. The CHAIRMAN. That is always welcome. Senator OWEN. That great mian-a saint on earth, a martyr-who urged this country to establish the League of Nations did not succeed in having the United States enter the League. The world was not then ready for it. The world is ready for it now. The world has had another blood bath. The sorrow caused by this world war is abso- lutely unspeakable. I want to say that General Eisenhower, in his address to the Senate. and to the House of the 17th of June, impressed upon my mind and upon my heart the supreme importance of organizing and financing durable peace. When we can find ourselves willing to expend $300,000,000,000 and a million of our precious lives to win the war-when we can do that, we can afford to implement the education of the world by the expenditure of a sufficient amount of money to accomplish durable peace. Frank C. Laubach says it can be done with $5,000,000. I say it would be worth $5,000,000 000. I want to say more: That it would be a good investment, because now two-thirds of the people of the world are not able to read and write their own language. If their illiteracy is abolished they could increase their own production by untold billions of dollars. It would be a good investment from a money standpoint, a better investment from a social standpoint, and a necessary investment for durable peace. Please accept my grateful thanks for your permission to be heard. (The documents referred to and submitted by Senator Owen are as follows:) RESOLUTION PROPOSED BY HON. ROBERT L. OWEN, OF OKLAHOMA, IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 1917 (Congressional Record, p. 6887) A JOINT RESOLUTION (S. J. Res. 94) Proposing as a war measure an international convention for the purpose of terminating international anarchy, establishing internanational government in lieu thereof, and coercing the Teutonic military conspiracy by the organized commercial, financial, military, and naval powers of the world "Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That it is the opinion of the representatives of the people of the United States assembled in Congress that international government, supported by international force, should be immediately organized to take the place of the existing international anarchy; that competing armaments should be replaced by a noncompetitive international army and navy; that the Teutonic military conspiracy to dominate the world should be overthrown by the combined commercial, financial, military, and naval powers of the world. That international government should be based upon the following principles: First. Every civilized nation and informed people should have the unquestionable right of internal self-government, with exclusive control within its own territory over immigration, emigration, imports, exports, and all internal affairs, with the right to make its own political and commercial affiliations. Second. The oceans and high seas should be free and open under international rules. All intenational wateways, staits, and canals should be open on equal terms to the citizens of all nations. Equal terms should be arranged for fuel, repairs, and dockage in all ports for the ships belonging to the citizens of all nations. Third. All interior nations having no seaports should have the right of shipment of their goods in bond on equal terms and conditions, without tax, through any intervening territory to the seaports of any other nation with equal access to shipping facilities. Fourth. That there should be established by international agreement an international organization of all civilized nations with an international legislative council to draft rules of international law to be submitted to the several nations for approval. That when such rules of international law are approved by the parliaments, or lawmaking branch of the governments of three-fourths of the member nations, representing three-fourths of the total population of all the member nations, such international rules should be binding on all member nations. Such rules should be limited to the powers expressly delegated to such international legislative council and strictly confined to international affairs. Fifth. The international legislative council should elect and define the duties of a representative international executive cabinet to execute and enforce the rules established as international law. Sixth. The international legislative council should have representatives from each member nation exercising a voting power according to relative population, relative wealth, and relative governmental development, to be determined by international agreement. Seventh. The international legislative council should establish and define the duties of an international supreme court, with power to pass upon all questions of international controversy incapable of diplomatic adjustment but with no power to pass on questions affecting the reserved rights of nations. Eighth. The international legislative council should formulate the method for raising an international army and navy and for establishing an international blockade and other means for enforcing the rights of member nations under international law, such army and navy to be provided and sustained by the member nations pro rata according to relative population and wealth. Ninth. With the conclusion of the present war the nations of the world should agree to reduce in progressive stages their land and sea forces to a point pre ferably not to exceed internal or local police purposes and the quota required for the international army and navy. With progressive disarmament and international peace safeguarded by world government dissatisfied nations now held captive by dominant nations for strategical purposes could be safely given their liberty. Tenth. That the international army and navy should not be authorized to exercise military force further than to prevent or suppress the invasion of the territorial integrity of any of the member nations and in the blockade and embargo to enforce international law. Eleventh. That it should be a violation of international law and the highest international crime for any nation on any alleged ground to invade the territorial limits of another nation. The penalty of such invasion should be immediate international blockade of the invading nation, embargo on all mail, express, and freight to or from such nation, and the suppression of such invasion by the international army and navy. Twelfth. That nations backward in education, industrial, and economic development, and in the knowledge of the principles of government should have their rights safeguarded on the principles of freedom, humanity, and justice by international agreement with a view to future self-government. Thirteenth. It is clearly realized that the program of progressive disarmament or permanent world peace is impossible of attainment until the military forces now ruling the Teutonic people, first, either voluntarily acquiesce in progressive disarmament and international justice as the basis of world peace; second, are forced to do so by the Teutonic people; or third, are coerced to do so by the combined powers of the world. Fourteenth. That in order to bring this war to an early termination, the belligerant nations opposing the Teutonic powers should immediately cohere on a plan of international government pledging justice and peace to all member nations and the coercion of the military autocracy of Prussia by the commercial, financial, military, and naval forces of the world, giving assurance, nevertheless, to the Governments of Germany and Austria of their willingness to admit the Teutonic powers as members of the proposed international union on equal terms with other nations when they shall have met the conditions and given satisfactory guaranties. Fifteenth. In our opinion no reliance should be placed upon the vague suggestions of peace of the Teutonic military autocracy, but that their obscure proposals should be regarded merely as a military ruse. The peace resolution of the Reichstag, while promising well for the attitude of the German people, when they achieve self-government, cannot at present be regarded as a proposal binding on or capable of enforcement by the German people, because they do not control their own Government, but are mere subjects and puppets of a military autocracy which has long conspired and still dreams of conquering the world by military force and terrorism. The United States and the nations opposing militarism should strenuously prosecute the war with every available resource, and no separate peace should be made by any of them until the menace of the military autocracy of Germany is removed. Sixteenth. It is our opinion that if a world-wide agreement can be established on the above principles, and the men now engaged in slaughter and destructive activities can be returned to productive industry, the world could quickly recover the gigantic shock of the present war and would be able without serious difficulty to soon repair the material injuries and losses already suffered. Seventeenth. The United States does not enter this war for material advantage, for any selfish purpose, or to gratify either malice or ambition. The United States will not approve forcible annexations or mere punitive indemnities, but it will approve a free Poland, the restoration of territory wrongfully taken from France and Italy, and restorative indemnity to Belgium and Serbia, and the adjustment of other differences by international conferences. It will favor extending international credits for the restoration of all places made waste by war. The United States enters this war in self-defense; to protect its own citizens and the nations of the world in their present and future rights to life and liberty on land and sea. It does not wish the world to remain an armed camp. Eighteenth. No peace is desirable until the world can be safeguarded against a repetition of the present war. Competitive armaments must be ended and replaced by international cooperative armaments in order to assure permanent world peace. Nineteenth. That the President of the United States shall immediately submit the above resolution to the belligerent nations now defending them selves against Prussian military autocracy and invite them and all neutral nations by wire to an international convention for the purpose of considering the above principles and taking affirmative action for the early suppression of the Teutonic military autocratic conspiracy by the combined commercial, financial, military, and naval powers of all nations. Twentieth. The sum of $400,000 is hereby appropriated to meet the cost of promoting such convention. Hon. ROBERT L. OWEN, Washington, D. C. STATE OF OKLAHOMA, DEAR SENATOR: In reply to your letter of recent date, I am glad to enclose to you herewith certificate of copy of Concurrent Resolution 33. Also, in compliance with your request, I have mailed a certified copy of this resolution to Senator Thomas. I deeply appreciate your kind expressions relative to my cooperation with you in the matter of advancing your global alphabet. With all good wishes, I am, Sincerely yours, ROBT. S. KERR, Governor. STATE OF OKLAHOMA OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE To All Whom These Presents Shall Come, Greetings: I, F. C. Carter, Secretary of State of the State of Oklahoma, do hereby certify that the following and hereto attached is a true copy of enrolled House Concurrent Resolution No. 33, enacted by the regular session of the Twentieth Legislature of the State of Oklahoma, the original of which is now on file and a matter of record in this office. In testimony whereof I hereto set my hand and cause to be affixed the great seal of State. Done at the City of Oklahoma City, this 13th day of June A. D. 1945. [SEAL] Filed May 2, 1945. F. C. CARTER, Secretary of State. ENROLLED HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 33 By Speakman and Weaver, of the House; Jones, of the Senate ▲ CONCURRENT RESOLUTION IN APPRECIATION OF THE WORK OF THE HONORABLE ROBERT L. OWEN, FORMER UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM OKLAHOMA, PERTAINING TO THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH AS A WORLD LANGUAGE THROUGH A GLOBAL ALPHABET; AND MEMORIALIZING THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS Whereas the Honorable Robert L. Owen, who was elected United States Senator by the people of Oklahoma in 1907 and who served for 18 years consecutively in that high office, has devoted much time and study in recent years to the development of a global alphabet to promote international understanding by the use of English as a world language: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Twentieth Legislature of the State of Oklahoma and by the Senate, That the proposed global alphabet is hereby commended to educators and language students in schools and colleges |