The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-29

N ERLIN. June 21.-(SpeciaL) )-Europe
N is approaching the millennium of
- the universal state, in which bu-
reaucrats will do all things and direct
all men. In future tutelary rulers in
the interests of communities will tell men
how they must work, eat, dress and
bring up their children. This Is the re-
suit of the decay of the nineteenth CEN
tury indivdualism and of the prohibi-
tory, restrictive and mandatory legisla-
ton which is now fashionable on Euro
pean soil
No one doubts that that Is Europe's
fate. Those who rejoice at the pros
pect agree with those who lament. DR..
Delbrueck. imperial minister of the in
terror, lately told the reichstag in re-
ply to a complaint against too much leg
islaton that the legislation would con-
tinue, because it is good and desirable.
And Professor Ludwig Bernhard, teach
er of political science at Berlin univer-
sty, who finds state regulation bad
things, equally admits that 1t must con-
tinue. The very evils which have sprung
up as result of the universal states
excessive activity have no cure. he says,
but the homeopathic one of more state
activity. Nothing says another COM
petent judge, Dr. Hans Dressler, will
rid us of the plague except more of the
plague, for the state will only begin to
leave us alone when it has interfered
so thoroughly that there is nothing more
to interfere with"
There is no place for any opposing
movement. The reason of this is that
Europes two strongest political schools
which differ in nearly everything, hap
pen to agree that civilization must hence
forth rely exclusively on the state. The
two schools are the socialists, ruthless
foes of the existing type of state, and
the militant conservatives, who oppose
all change in the state. These extreme
parties quarrel over most things One de-
nies the monarchy; another holds the
monarchy sacred: one denies militarism,
the other finds militarism the chief bull
wark against anarchy one denies, or is
Indifferent to the church; the other thinks
that strong state churches are as neces-
sary as state justice, defenses and po-
lice. These violently opposed thinkers
agree in one thing: that the state must
regulate the community more and more.
BY the side Of this essential agreement
the differences in the conception of state
constitutions are unimportant. The so
cialists pant for demagogic state with
the proletariat on top, and the conserva-
tives want an aristocratic. militarist state
with bureaucrats and professors on top,
but both hold the view that the state,
which they so differently image, shall
regulate, meddle. command ,and forbid to
the point of exhaustion.
The enemies of the universal state idea
see plainly the point of agreement be-
tween these two schools. Prince Buelow
says that the liberty enthusiastic social
lists are really more despotic than the
Czar: in that they want the state to
meddle in mems private actions, and that
they vigorously impose a censorship on
the words and writings of their own
party men. And similarly the foes of
the conservative state interference pro-
fessors have invented for these the de-
risive title of chair socialists" The nick
name was given because Tory and retro
grade as these professors are. their am