The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-10-26
EDUCATOR ON Economics.

heard Homer G.. Folks, of New
York city, prominent in distribu-
ton of charities, speak on the sub
ject "The Failure of Government in
America
The lecture was possessed of a
pleasing personality and held the at
tention of the audience throughout
the entire address. Mr.. Folks stat
ed that lecturing was but a by
duct" of his life, but few lectures at
Muhlenburg have been more inter-
esting and more laden with thought.
By failure the speaker made clear
he meant comparative failure, just
as a man is q bankrupt even IL he
can pay 95 per cent. of his debts.
Any improvement less than rea-
sonable increase is a failure and,
according to that standard, govern
ment in the u. S. is a failure. We
are the most favored nation in the
world and our government is the
most responsive to public opinion
but we are as well off as we are in
spite of our government and not be-
cause of it. The root of the trouble
is the uncertainty of relations be-
tween the state and the national
governments. The speaker then
gave such examples of the failure of
Jul lOl III VI SONVl hlAiSiAb ''N hi'S
perience as a worker in charity had
brought him.
vital statistics are recognized
everywhere as the diagnosis of the
body polite, the record of births,
deaths and cause of deaths is an in
dex of the administration of govern
ment and yet the United States can
not obtain them so well as can
Spain, Italy or Russia. Half of the
territory of the United States has
no provision for records of vital
statistics; in some states only some
of the cities have records. No. IL.
The forty-five states differ in laws,
they differ even in the administra-
tion of the same laws. The nation
cannot collect the reports; the
states will not, so we guess at our
vital statistics. One mans guess
may not be so good as another's but
he thinks it is.
In many states the child labor
laws are sermons and sermons are
not so effective as they used to be.
The laws in different states con-
flict and are not enforced. Six
years ago a private self-appointed
committee in New York city under
took to establish uniform Child La
Dor Laws throughout the United
States. Here was a private com
mittee seeking to remedy need
in the national government. The
people are willing enough to respond
to any humanitarian undertaking
but they have not the means to
make it effective.
From past history one would
judge the insurance committees
were delegated to protect insurance
too sY,rt Nf 10 q TO u
control their actions. There is no
relief for the poor mans insurance.
There is a term called employ
er's liabilities but the burden of
preventing accidents falls upon
charity. The widow of an accident
faces the choice between 80 cents
and a law suit; the employer pays
out money for legal talent" If we
choose to call it such. In other
countries the burden of accident
falls upon the industry and thus
the widow receives money when she
needs it, not a small pittance after
a long law suit, We possess no
system as this under our laws.
Likewise we have no system for
dealing with the social evil. 1t is
sapping away our life, filing the
insane asylums and is responsible
lOI lHt vi III vi blilh Nhiiul Ni4 ''AiN
vet we have absolutely no system,
in dealing with it. Surely any pol
icy would be better than none.
THE divorce laws are no better;
forty-five different administrations.
In all these difficulties we might
hope if there was the slightest way
out of the trouble but we are lost
without compass. Education
where we might expect uniformity
presents no better enlightenment.
After speaking so far on per-
sonal experience Mr.. Folks proceed
ed to observation, and experience
of others. Abuses in freight rates
are different now but none the less
serious. We make the gun and pre-
pare to fire but 10! the game has
fed.
Greater interdependence means
greater need for social conformity
Our constitution places obstacles to
proposed changes. We can do as
they did in England when change in
times made change in government
necessary,-make the changes but
do not change the recognized forms.
And we have done so,-we changed
the election by electoral college
without changing the constitution
so we also changed the election of
senators without changing the "un-
changeable constitution" With
change in conditions we may assume
that the constitution was meant to
be changed also The constitution
and articles of confederation were
made in the same generation. The
latter was found to be inadequate
to the needs; what guarantee should
there be that the former is eternal?
Conditions may be remedied by
forming eXtra-statuary bodies or
some existing body with extra
statuary powers to do things which
tho statag won't do and which the