Arizona republican., 1912-10-04
CONSERVATION OF HUMAN LIFE
This Should Be Paramount Issue of American Peo- pie, Says E. E. Kitten house in Address at In- dianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Oct. 2.-E.
 F. Rittenhouse of New York speak
 ing before the National Conservation
 congress today on the subject of
 Human Life As a National Asset"
 declared that the conservation of hu-
 man life should be the paramount is sue of the American people. MT. Rittenhouse said in part: The first item in humanity's bill of rights is the right to live. To pro-
 tect human life from needless de- structiOn is the primary purpose of organized society. We are not only reducing the fer tility of our race and also shortening
 the span of life. but we are permit ting at least 50,OOO American lives to be destroyed annually which we
 could save by the application of sim pie and wellknown sanitary and
 other precautions.
 This is our real race suicide problem.
 We have made progress in pre- venting life waste but it has been
 confined almost wholly to contagious or infectious diseases. At the same time, the death rate from the de- generative diseases of middle life and old age against which we have Waged
 no war, has steadily increased
 We are still burning the candle
 furiously at both ends-slower at one | and faster at the other. We may felicitate ourselves upon all of our past achievements, and at
 the same time recognize the ex- cessive life waste that is still going on, and also recognize that evil dences are multiplying of race de terioration, and of our growing con- tempt for the value and sacredness of human life.
 These conditions will not be ar rested automatically. The problem will not solve itself The people alone can check this continuing waste of national efficiency and vitality. Great CT efforts must be made to impress them with the facts and to arouse
 them to more effective action.
 The economic loss is stupendous. but it is insignificant compared to the misery, suffering, poverty inn morality and crime which result from the needless sickness and premature death from which the nation is now suffering
 The public health service, local and national, must lead in this life saving work Tt is the primary | function of the government to pro- | tect the lives of the people from needless destruction; but it takes money to educate the public and to run health departments. Tn the last analysis, the war against preventable disease is a strug- gle between the dollar and the death
 rate.
 ! Most of our communities prefer a high death rate to a slight increase | in the tax rate.
 There isn't an adequately financed
 health department in the country.
 Many towns have none at all, some of them are small cities. "Others have health boards without l funds Others a mere perfunctory
 health service.
 Some have advanced; many are efficient, but there isn't city in the union where the health ordinances are properly enforced, chiefly because
 of lack of funds.
 1 "In neglecting our public health
 service our people are trifling with a most solemn duty. Everybody should rally to the sup
 port of the health service and join
 in the educational campaign for pre-
 vention.
 The National Conservation con
 gress is especially adapted to lead
 in this educational work. | Human life is our paramount as
 set Its conservation should be your | paramount issue"