The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-08-27

an interest, he finds that for female em-
ployes chairs must be provided, that
children must not be employed in certain
kinds Of work, that dangerous machinery
must be fenced. that fire escapes must
be furnished, and probably that the goods
produced or sold must be marked or
packed in a certain way or must reach a
certain standard. Indeed, whatever this
mans business may be, It is almost GER
tain that in one way or another the pub
lies hand comes between him and his
cmploye, or between him and his custo-
mer.
Leaving his store or his factory, this
average man DEPOSITS money in a bank,
which is carefully inspected by public Of
flcials, and which is compelled by the pub
lie to refrain from certain modes of in
vestment and also to publish periodical
statements OF Its condition. He then
makes a payment to an insurance COM
pany, which Is subject to even stricter
statutory regulGtions He then goes to
East Boston and back, upon a ferry boat
owned and managed by the public. When
finally all the business of the day Is fin
ishcd, this imaginary Bostonian walks
through the Common and the Public Gar
den and soon enters the Public Library,
which is the latest and most striking ex-
preston of the public's interest in the in
dividual. Leaving the Public Library, he
strolls past a free bath house sustained
by tho public and then past a free public
out door gymnasium; and then hastens
homo through streets that public SER
wants are now beginning to light. When
this Bostonian reaches home, he can re-
fleet that he has passed no very extraordi-
nary day. If events had been a little diff
ferent, the public would have furnished
steam fire engines to pi otect his house.
or policeman to find a lost child for
him, or an ambulance to take his cook to
the city hospital, or a health officer to in
sDect his neighbours premises.
%
Us the result berefcial? Undoubtedly
there are defects; but, looking at the
question in a large way, 1t seems clear
that the growth Of governmental func.
tlons has been wise and necessary. How
else cou1 the great mass of the people
have secured schools, Libraries, parks.
water, sewers, protection against fire ?
How else could the great mass of the peo-
pie haYe BEEN protected against un-
wholesome food and against overcharges
for transportation? How else could many
of the advances in knowledge have been
prevented from benefiting almost exclu-
sively narrow circle? Nor have these
desirable results been obtained at an un-
| reasonable cost. The expenditures of the
those of most cities. Yet, at the usual
rate of taxation. what is the total amount
of taxes, for all city and state purposes,
| paid by Bostonian whose taxable prop
erty Is reasonably worth SIS, 600, and whose
| income from profession or trade is $1,000?
| The total amount is $2l7.60. This sum
procures, among other things, the many
| services (primary, incidental and en-
largeO already indicated, including po-
lice, fire department, streets, parks. sew
| ers, charitable Institutions, library,
| schools, and school books In private
| hands, how far would S2l7.6O go toward Sc
| curing these numerous services? Not
withstandinG the extravaganza of public
| ofiicials-an extravaganza that probably
characterizes the same persons in private
| life-so expensive is small administra-
ton as compared with large administra-
ton, that the sum thus paid for numerous
public services would hardly procure from
| private school the mere tuition of two
| children: and, besides, in thoroughness Of
| instruction and in completeness of outfit
| few private schools, would seek compari-
| son with the schools furnished by the
public. Still further, while laziness and
| nefiiciency are no doubt the rule in mcst
occupations, both public and private, II
is quite as invariably the rule that pub
| lie service is not less skllful and satis-
| factory than private service. Is your
| COOK more efficient, on the average, than
| the policeman or the fireman? Does the
| gas company give better service than
the water department? Does a new rail-
way company please the public better
| than does the post office?
As to the probabilities for the future,
what can Cne say? Simply that what has
| happened heretofore is likely to continue
! to happen There Is no reason to expect
| that by and by governments will begin
| to interfere unwarrantably with indi-
vidual liberty, or to undertake more than
1t can successfully perform. Nor on the
| other hand, is there reason to fear that
| governments will fail to enlarge its scope
as soon as there is seen to be public de-
mand for enlargements. For centuries
| two intents have guided the law, wheth-
er statutory or judge-made; the intent
| to guard individual liberty and the intent
| to secure public welfare. There is no rea-
son to fear that either one of these deep
| seated intents i'll be uprooted, nor that
| the time will ever come when a state
ment of the actual scope of governments
will cease to furnish fair answer to the
| apprehensions of the pessimist and the
demands of the revolutionist
| 3