The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-07-20

sThe Citizens Part in Government
THE Citizens Part In Government
By Elihu Root. Secretary Of State. Charles
Scribner's Sons, New York. publishers.
This book Is composed of the four lee
lures delivered by Mr.. Root before Yale
University students upon the Dodge foun-
dalton. The subjects are 1.-The Task In
berited or ssum by Members of the
Governing Body in q Democracy; "The
Function of Political Parties as Agencies
of thu Governing Body" "fhe Duties OF
the Citizen as a Member Of a Political
Party" and The Grounds for Encourage
ment." The general time is optimistic
and the exposition authoritative and schol-
arly. Words from our brilliant State Sec
rotary on these subjects have a value
which 1t would be difficult for another
man to give TO them.
A few brief extracts will indicate the
tenor of the book. Here is Mr.. Root
says on the relations of the higher edu-
cation to political usefulness:
IF we turn to education. we find that
instead of this being a thing apart, the
education which enables the great BODY
of democracy to work out the problems |
have described-the primary educatlon,
which opens the door of knowledge to the
mass and the door OF unllinlied oppoT-
unity to the exceptional n~telligence-ls
almost universally supplied by govern
ment as a part of the political quailhca-
ton for citizenship; On the other name
it is very doubtful whether the higher
academic education contributes much to
capacity for political usefulness. AS a
rule, political wisdom, In the best sense,
comes in life n not In study, ana the
tel dency of highly educated men 10
neglect all political duties is unfortunate
ly too general. 1t is the process OF govern
ment that educates for governmen. ~ =
ing of laws and political practises n
injurious customs that point the way to
Intelligent legislation. The factory IN
spected over thirty-eight thousand sep
arate factories last year. Those inspec-
lions and the reports and the discussions
on them are education through which
the thirty-eight thousand employers and
the million and odd employees, and the
community which controls them both,
may come to a sense of just how the
balance ought to be held between the
employers rights of property and free
contract. on one hand, and the EMPLOYEES
freedom from the slavery Of circumo
normal, healthy citizens, on the other"
OF the need for entering into political
work he remarks:
~ have no doubt that the American who
feels the responsibilities of his citizenship
can do his duty as a part OF the governing
people better by entering into the organ
ization of one of the great political parties
than in any other way, The better educa-
ted, more intelligent and more active he Is;
lBt ElGdlCI = liz WY III oaVaAA
seek for his powers the immense increase
of effectiveness which comes from associa-
ton, combination and organization. There
are many abuses of party power and In
party management in the United States;
but the American who stands apart and
criticises or condemns the conduct of po-.
litical parties may well be answered, Yours
was the responsibility and you have wholly
failed to discharge 1t.
He thinks the Presidential campaign a
great educational factor, and has this TO
say of campaign funds:
Doubtless there have been abuses in
raising and applying campaign funds; but.
in the main, there Is no more useful ex-
penditure Of none from the public point
of view than this. which in the last Presl-
dental election, according to official state
ments, amounted to only about three and a
half cents per capita for the people OF the
United States, or one side, and probably
somewhat less on the other; for the great
bulk of 1t is applied to the political educa-
tion of voters"
And he has nm encouraging word for the
standards of honesty maintained by our
great business establishments:
ut is perfectly safe TO assert that the
STANDARD of probity and fidelity among the
corporation managers Of the country Is
higher now than it ever has been befores
and yet there Is more complaint now than
there ever has been before, because our
people demand that q more rigid rule of
morality shall be applied by statute and by
the courts and in administrative super
vision than they formerly considered neces-
sary.'