The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-05-23
PATERNALISM.
The St. Paul Globes Theory Illus.
trated.
A Simple Government and Suicide.


The St. Paul Globe said, the other
day:
''If Democracy stands for anything,
it means the minimum of interference,
by the state, with the individual: it de-
nies that theory of government which
regards the aggregated power of the
community as always properly used in
taking care of some one or some class:
it limits the state to the protection of
the property Of its citizens, and security
for their life, liberty and happi-
ness" PaternaliSm means the ever
increasing transmutation of the liber-
ties of the citizen into state power, to
be used in promoting and fostering
and encouraging and protecting those
individuals or interests or classes
which may manipulate Congresses and
Legislatures successfully, under pre-
tense of the public welfare"
Wouldn't it be well for the writer to
move an amendment to that part of
the constitution of the United States
which declares that one of its main
objects is "t0 promote the general accl-
Jdi93'
Would it not be better for him to
demand the abolition of the public
school system-for man can have
life, liberty and tue pursuit of hap
piness" without knowing A from
"1zzard?" And may it not greatly in
terfere with one mans ''happiness' to
be compelled to pay taxes to educate
another mans children?
Would it not be we'll for him to op-
pose the postal system, since the saw
ages of Timbuctoo possess ''life, liberty
and the pursuit Of happiness" after
their fashion, without knowing post
age stamp from an electric battery?
In short, would it not be we'll for
him,--we make the suggestion in all
kindness,-to go out and hang himself,
and thereby relieve the world of the
burden of supporting at least one in
consequential, unreasonable fool.
Paternalism does not mean. as this
man says, transmitting the liberties
of the people into state power" but
using state power to increase the
liberties Of the people, and with their
liberties increasing their welfare"
and happiness.
If the Globe breaches true democ-
racy then the inhabitant of Dahciney
is in an ideal democratic condition
of pure government. The king trims
the citizens head off, or sells him into
slavery, or robs him of all his posses
slons; and there is no "paternalism;"
in all the armory of their simple and
charming government, to protect any
Of his rights-not one. There is no
protection Of the individual" which
the Globe so strongly eprecates:-the
individual is nowhere in that beauti-
ful land. Why does not the Globe re-
move there and enjoy the luxury of
simple, -paternalistic govern
ment: There are no Populists there.
They are the fruit of high civiliza-
ton. There are no schools: no post
offices: no asylums for the deaf, dumb,
blind and insane; no sanitary commits
sions; no poor houses; no writ of
habecS corpus; no public parks; no uni
versities; no anything that goes to
make up civilization, and which rep
resents the paternalism, the fatherly
love, of the government.
In the same issue of the Globe in
which this man. put forth his non
sensical views appeared two news arti-
cles. Here is the first:
VIENNA, May 13.-A sad affair oc-
Cured here to-day. A poor widow,
named Jerabell, had two children, a
girl and boy, aged eleven and nine
years, respectively. The woman was
compelled to work hard to support
no rCp1f a nd bn oh yl,1
young to give her any assistance. The
children determined to kill them
selves, and thus relieve her from their
support. To-day they went to one of
the bridges spanning the Danube and
mounted the parapet. They then
hastily embraced and kissed each 9TH
er, and, claSping hands, jumped into
the river. Before assistance could
reach them their bodies were swept
out of sight. When the mother re-
turned from her work she found her
lodgings deserted. She began to look
for the children, thinking they had
gone into the streets to play. Not !.
finding them, she returned to her
home, when she found note that she
had overlooked, in which the children
said that, as they were only burden
to her, they had decided to commit
suicide. The widow is frantic because
of the loss of her children, and it is
feared that she will become incurably
insane.
Isn't it beautiful condition of
things when the very children commit
suicide to escape from the horrors
that surround them? Does not the
Globe think that little "paterEal-
ISM would have been a good thing, to
prevent such results? Or, is this an
evidence of the beauties of a simple
form of government, where the powers
of the state are not used to improve
the condition of the people, but they
are allowed to scramble for life with
out helping hand being extended to
them?
And here is the other extract:
New YORK, May 13.-The body Of a
man, supposed to be that of Anton
Stamm, formerly one of the editors of
the American edition of the Encyclo-
pedia Britannica, was found this
morning hanging to a tree in Central
Park on Vault hill, near the lake, op.
posite Seventy second street. The
body was taken to the Harlem morgue.
where it awaits Identification. A let
Z ter was found on the body dated Bible
house, New York, Nov. %, 1891. from
William II. Dupuy, recommending the