Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1912-10-25
State Should Be
Great Moral Agent

UItdl MUIdI AS6Ill
GOVERNOR CLARKE STATES
VIEWS ON THE IDEAL OF STATE
GOVERNMENT.
Better Schools, Good Roads, Prison
Reform, Shorter Ballot, Juster Tax
ation-What Iowa Has Already
Done for Better Living.
Hon. George w. Clarke, candidate
for governor Of Iowa, in an address
in the campaign, concluded as follows
in summing up the main issues in
volved in the state campaign:
The great necessity Is that every
effort be made to place Iowa at the
head of the procession as the Ideal
modern State. She has every natural
condition-unexcelle fertility of soil
a climate conducive to strong, rug.
ged, forceful people, an intelligent,
righteous citizenship, gathered from
the best nationalties Of the world, and
a location unsurpassed for future
greatness as an agricultural and man
ufacturing State. The question Is
What is Iowa going to do with heI
unexampled opportunities? The an
swer is, she must give herself unre'
servedly and with an absolutely dis
interested devotion to the perfectine
here of State that in her citizenship
and in her wise, just and beneficent
laws and the intelligent application OF
them, will distinguish her as the finest
example of the application of modern
thought to human welfare. Her devo
ton must be to the common good
There must be no discrimination, nc
injustice to any, no advantage. but
her sympathies, her moral force and
her justice, must extend to all. J
thoroughly believe that the end OF
government should be the good OF
mankind, the betterment Of human
conditions, the protection of human
welfare. l see no reason why the state
should not be a great moral force, a
positive good, why she should not be
humane, why she should not be help
full to her people, why there should
not be an ideal for State, as we'll as
for individual life, why there should
not be a State as well as an individu
al conscience l cannot see why bust
ness and human betterment may not
increase side by side. The destiny OF
the State is Included in the destiny OF
every man:
The Public School Problem.
ITO the end that we may with de-
termination, set out toward the re
alization Of these ideals, we ought to
consider our common schools. Our
rural schools have done great work
but they are not meeting the condi
tons and demands of today. Good
homes and good schools lie at the
very basis Of good citizenship and
they 60 hand in hand. No State can
be better than it's homes and schools.
The rural schools of today were
adapted to early Iowa, but the last
fifty years have made new world
Whether or not there is widespread
discomfort with rural conditions as
is sometimes pictured, there is room
for much improvement in the country
school, and it ought to have the best
thought of men of public spirit and
especially ofthose engaged In public
AFFAIRS
1T may also be suggested that our
State educational institutions ought
to be brought more closely in touch
with the life of the people. Hundreds
Of thousands of dollars are going into
them annually and there ought to be
return OF rich dividends There is
no substantial ground Of complaint,
but 1t seems to me the State should
see to it that their influence should
be wider and that they touch more
closely, intimately and helpfully the
people as a whole. There should be
courses along many
lines reaching thousands of the youth
of the State not now inspired by their
influence. The worker ought to be
taught as to his trade and all should
have a course in good citizenship and,
as has been suggested by another, in
self sacrifice, justice, sensible, frugal
habits of living and sense Of obi.
cation to the State. The University
should be a veritable servant of the
State in expert work in developing
the State and in research work, es-
pecially in the interest of the public
health.
THE good roads problem should re.
ceive most careful and intelligent con.
sderation. The millions of dollars
annually expended upon our public
highways should, 1t seems to me,
bring greater and better results. We
shall never become a great State url.
til we have good, permanent roads. 1t
is a matter of a long time, but fixed
policy of road building should be de.
vised and entered upon. Every con.
of economy of transporta.
ton, increased value of lands, desir.
ability of rural life and even the bet.
terment of rural schools demand it.
Reform In Prison Management.
"In the interest OF humanity, econ.
omy, and in accordance with the best
thought on the subject,
there should be wrought out a reform
in the management Of our prisons. No
modern State should be disgraced by
liberation of the contract labor sys-
tenn. The report Of the committee
appointed to investigate the manage
ment of one of our penal institutions
only confirms my long settled convic
ton on the subject. 1t is shown that
many State prisons are managed at
a profit to the State, the well-being
of the prisoners conserved and that
they are returned to society without
being embittered against it. Above all
else we should abolish the contractor
and his nrOfit As suggested in the