St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-24
AN OBSOLETE POLICY.

AN OBSOLETE POLICY.
The Illinois Legislature, too, is in
aulging itself in a serio-comic bit OF
by-pIay. A member has introduced
a bill for the taxation of bachelors
Or of single men who have passed
the age of thirty-two without hav-
ing surrendered to the grand pas
sion. Between that age and sixty
the tax must be paid; after the lat
ter date the victim is supposed to
be incurable and not to be driven
away from his single blessedness by
any compulsion Of the state.
If, however, as if recognizing the
fact that every Jack has not his Jill,
and that there are men so hopelessly
repulsive that no woman will have
them, the lucklesS wight can produce
evidence to the satisfaction of the
proper officer that he has done his
best to get married, and failed only
because no woman would accept
him, he may be exempted from the
tax. He must prove, however, that
he has thrown his heart and fortune
at the feet Of no less than three of
the other sex and in each case his
proffer has been declined, this being
the least measure of proof that can
be accepted. He may supplement it,
however, with proof of as many
other reflections as he may have at
command.
We say this is by-play because it
will be so taken by the -scoffing
world, but we have no doubt that
the mover of the bill is as serious as
a judge pronouncing the death SEN
tence. In this view of the case, his
measure invites some reflections.
The first. and most apparent one is
the economic fallacy that evidently
underlies the idea. 1t is not that he
would have men marry simply for
the sake of being married. No good
end would be served by that. The
proposer is undoubtedly moved by
his faith in the scriptural injunction
to increase and multiply and fill the
earth. 1t is the effect on population
he has in view. But he overlooks
the very great change that has taken
place since the command was laid
on the first of our race He evil
IDENTIFY has never heard of or read the
demonstration of Nautilus that the
world is in serious danger of becom-
ing overpopulated. The produc
ton Of food supply is not in proper
ton to the increase of the race, and.
II this is so, it is simply matter of
calculation when there will be more
mouths on the planet to fill than
there is food to fill them with.
Then there is another aspect to the
case. a large portion of the people
OF the globe, that is, of it's civilized
portions, are engaged in producing
those things all want and must have
aside from the demands of subsist
ence. There would be enough for all
TO do in this work if these various
thlngs were made as in the DAYS
pflmeVal, or even before the balefuI
genius of invention came to inf
steel and iron and steam and cleo
trlclty IN the place of unaided mus
Gle. But the world has been turned
topsy-turvy, that is, the industrial
world, IN the last fifty years. Every-
where the machine is doing the work
mat i've, ten, twenty men were need
ed TO do before. This, of course. de-
creases just so much the demand for
men.
Women, too, have come in and
taken the place that gave men en-
ployment and added to the number
OF useless men. Now, is it not clear
tldt no more men are wanted than
just enough to keep the race from
disappearing? Do not the economic
conditions point to the need of
statutes restrictive of maria ea .
ana IL this is true-and can it be
dlsputed-is not the man who re-
mains single all his life doing man
klnd the best service? He is dimin-
IsHihS the supply of a glutted mar
ket, and as such is clearly a bene-
factor Instead of being fined nv a
TAX Tor this he clearly is entitled
to commentator, even if the annre-
ciallch taxes no more substantial
form. There was a day, not vet so
remote that the memory of mon
YET hVlng runneth not to the con-
trafy' when a man boosted of his
large family. The great Fredericl,
pensloned the mother who bore the
state nine children, but then Fred
erlck wanted food for the guns Of
ms numerous enemies, and believed
IN fostering and protecting the home
market
But it may be seriously contended
now, and We submit it in all can6or
10 the Illinois legislator. that the
changed conditions turn what was .
matter of public approval into ona
OF reproach, and the man who now
brings into the overcrowded ranks
OF humanity a large number of chill
dren merits public obloquy and cen
sure. We therefore hope that some
more up-to-date member of that
body will offer as a substitute h;ll
inning handsomely the man who shall
become the father of more than. saw
two children, just to keep the num-