New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-03
Dynamite Less Dangerous,
American Association PreSi-
dent Tells Conservation
Congress.
HUMAN LIFE IS WASTED
At Least 100000 Deaths Could
Be Prevented Annually, De-
clares Prof. Fisher-Dol-
lar and Death Rate
the Problem.

indianapolis. Oct. Ave are in the
patent medicine stage Of Ignorance" DR..
]. n. Hurry. of Indiana, president of the
American Health Association, told the
delegates 10 the fourth National Conser-
walton Congress this afternoon. Patent
medicines are more dangerous than dyna-
mite and the sale of them should be more
restricted They are composed chiefly OF
alcohol. and If alcohol could cure this
earth would have been rid of disease
ages ago."
He declared Indiana as we'll as other
states should heed the advice Of health
cranks" and convert one of the insane
hospitals into a school for chronic diseases
and save the building of more hospitals
Professor E. T. Fairchild. Of Topeka,
Kan, president Of the National Educa-
tional Association. criticised the school
system Of the country. He declared there
were more school officers than teachers.
He urged that the election Of school super
intendents be taken out of politics and
said II was a crime against the children
Of the nation to base the selection Of a
qualification other than educational.
Thousands Of mill hands are rioting in
Lawrence. Mass, because somebody has
blundered because some position had
been badly filed" asserted Harrington
Emerson, Of New York. IN his address on
THE Rescue of the Fit" Mr. Emerson
said there were three ways to fill posi-
tion-by giving the place to henchman
or a dependent by taking care of friend
and by picking out the person fitted He
said the most positions were filled by the
second method, and added that much Of
the waste Of the world was due to this
fact.
"Out Of some 100000 deaths annually
In the United States at least $4,000 are
preventable, declared Professor Irving
Fisher, of Yale University. This means
more than LOO unnecessary deaths each
day, or more than the lives lost on the
Titanic. The Titanic disaster spread gloom
over the world, while the daily average
death rate rarely gets passing COM
ment"
Professor Fisher said the people Of the
country must look to the newspapers, the
insurance companies and the federal gov
ernment for the saving Of human life.
In the last analysis the war against
preventable diseases is a struggle between
The dollar and the death rate" E. E. Ritz
renhouse, of New York, told the delegates.
And most Of our communities prefer
high death rate to a slight increase in
the tax rate. There is not an adequately
financed health department In the coun-
try" He added:
We are not only reducing the fertility
of our race and shortening the span OF
life, but we are permitting at least 6oO,VU
American lives to be destroyed annually
which we could save by the application
of simple and well known sanitary ana
other precautions. THIS is our real race
suicide problem.
Colony agents. who induce whole fam
lilies to sell their property and migrate TO
a faraway section of the country were
condemned by Professor George e.
Condra, of Lincoln. Neb. Persons who
carry on this kind of business are the
worst type of robbers" said Professor
Condra. What we need is a pure land
law. the same as a pure food law"
The executive committee OF the con-
gress met to-day and began plans for
more permanent organization. Hereto
fore II has been merely a forum for the
exchange Of ideas Walter L. Page. OF
New York, was chosen chairman of the
resolutions committee.