The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-04
FRON OTHER PENS
STANDARDIZATION

Somebody has written recently that
the life Of the average murderer in the
United States is safer than that of the
brakeman. since the death rate among
murdererS is lower. That probably is
an exaggeration. But in any event the
figures cited by the interstate COM
merce commission are sufficiently start
ling. About one trainman in nine is
injured each year and one in 1873 is
killed. Such facts as these lend them
selves to the contention frequently
made nawadays that the competitive
system in business is automatically too
destructive of life and morals to be
permitted to continue. The argument
is plausible. Men competing to stay in
business, it is commended, are forced by
the exigencies of competition to adul-
terate and cheaper products and to
save the money which ought to be spent
in safety appliances. Therefore, there
is q widespread adulteration Of foods,
hundreds of lives are sacrificed yearly
in mines and thousands on the rail-
roads.
If the government should adopt the
radical let-alone policy often urged the
outlook would be wretched. Happily
the theorists who urge such a policy
are comparatively few. The trend is
all in the other direction toward what
Prof. E. A. Ross has called standard
lied industry" The competitive system
with it's undoubted enormous advan-
tages may be safely continued, provid-
ed it's conditions be standardized. That
is, there must be standard securities,
which the public may buy without
danger of purchasing water. There
must be standard conditions of SANTA
ton and safety for workers who must
be only adults, and there must be a
standard product.-Kansas City Star.
CONVICTION; THEN DIVORCE.
The wife of a wealthy New Yorker.
somewhat indefinitely described as
young Standard OIL millionaire" elop-
ed with a horse trainer three months
to return to this country to face their
friends" Recreant wives and their
companions have gone abroad and come
back with impunity heretofore. No
wonder that these two should feel con-
hdent of meeting no greater punish
ment than the frowns of their friends"
Unfortunately there is no statute OF the
United States to punish an onense
against the marriage vows committed
on the high seas, even II the Offenders
were sailing under the American flag.
Nor can they be excluded from this
country, as they might be IL they were
aliens. Here is a case of q great pubic
scandal, but the prosecuting ofncers
will hardly consider 1t their duty TO
interfere. even If the clippers return ito
face their friends" The husband VIII
simply sue for a divorce, and no doubt
it will be granted. There should be an
amendment to the divorce law, how
ever, to the end that whenever the
grounds alleged by the libellant consti-
tute crime-a felony or misdemeanor
punishable by law, conviction OF the
| accused party must be shown before
| divorce is granted This is an extern
sion of the rule of the common law IN
cases of civil actions for injuries re-
sulting from crimes. One consequence
would certainly be that fewer divorces
would be granted on statutory
grounds because in most cases the
evidence presented goes no farther than
to raise q suspicion.-Philadeipn