Page:Confessions of an Economic Heretic.djvu/116

 It was evident to us that such a path involved the existence of an International Government, implying the surrender of important elements of sovereignty by individual States. It has taken eighteen years’ experience of the League of Nations to bring a recognition of this necessity, and the lesson is not yet learnt. But the demand made by Germany for colonies or other enlargements of territory, in order to meet her vital needs for markets and for occupation, is bringing the League to realize that without powers to deal with such demands upon the part of its actual or potential members, it cannot secure the peace of the world. Hence the movement towards economic congresses and schemes for equal distribution of raw materials. But those conferences and schemes will come to nothing so long as they rely upon the willingness of the “have” nations to make concessions to the “have nots.” The request by Germany for a return of her confiscated colonies makes it evident that such altruism will not work. So long as internationalism has no super-sovereignty over nationalism and no power to enforce the international will, the equality of economic opportunity needed for a secure peace is unattainable. The belief entertained by a few laisser-faire politicians and economists that equal access to economic utilities can be attained without any cessions of political ownership or control is not valid. Economic equality demands either a definite cession of colonial possessions by the “haves” to the