Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1917-01-17
Should Do More for People

should DO More TOT feOpie
1t looks as if Congress would ac-
cept Col. Bryan's suggestion and pro-
wide for the issuance of government
newspaper. "A measure appropriting
100000 for the purpose is now be-
ing considered. @
While Uncle Sam is about it, he
fought also to provide foraa general
information bureau at Washington.
Americans are people who swami to
know, you Knew and they are en-
tiled to know. 4 l..t. 2I5f s'.
But the government ut present is
practically without means for keep
ing in touch,with the people. Millions
Iof dollars of the public money is
spent on getting out documents, ETC.,
which the public ought to get the
benefit of but which are very little
good simply because the people never
learn about them.
Our government is the most UNI
businesslike institution in the world.
The politicians run it mostly, and you
know full well that the politicians
are not business men. Nine out of
4 ten of them couldn't make a living
if they were kicked out into the
cold world and had to hustle in COM
petition with ordinary people.
The government scientists for ex-
ample care nothing whatever for the
ptople; in fact they despise them and
despise anybody who really works;
all they care about a government
position is to use it as a stepping
stone for something better.
The agricultural department is the
most useful department of the gov
eminent, after the post office depart
ment, so far as the people are con-
cerned, but it is horrible example
of mismanagement. The secretary
of agriculture is theorist, and he
puts in an appearance at his Office so
seldom that his own employees hard
ly recognize him when he turns up.
The high government officials give
the bulk of their attention to playing
politics, attending banquets, writing
magazine articles, etc. Many of them
make use of government material
and government stenographers; and
many of them even have their arti-
cles written up by others and mere
! ly add their names and draw the
money.
} Col. Bryan's idea of government
bulletin is a good one as far as it
goes, but it doesn't go far enough.
ouCfl a DuDilCdllOfi, iSoutd ody WYNN
ly, for free distribution through the
post Offices, would be boon to the
public which would be worth infinite
ly more than it would cost; but it
would have to be managed on a bust
ness basis, and not in the ameteur-
ish way that the government usually
does things.
1t would keep the people reliably
informed about all government ac-
Invites. 1t would tell how to go to
work to get patent or pension or
an appointment, What public lands
were available for settlement, what
industries could be started to advan-
tage, where jobs could be had, where
help could be got or needed articles
purchased, how waste products could
be utilized, and thousands of other
things of equal Importance.
Col. Bryan is a politician, and he
sees only the political side of the
matter; his plan is to have the gov
eminent bulletin used only for poll
tical purposes, to tell the voters what
policies the parties and candidates
stand for--but that would be only a
starter. To the average American
politics is after ALI very small item,
though it is everything to the pro-
1esSlonal polltlclan.
What the average Ameican wants
to know is how to utilize his abilities
to the best advantage and how to get
what's coming to him. The govern
ment ought to maintain at Washing
ton comprehensive information
bureau which would stand ready to
lend a helping hand to every man,
woman or child who applied to it for
information.
That would be genuine service, and
that is what governments are for, ac-
cording to the modern conception.
The old view was that governments
were maintained for the benefit of
the politicians and office-seekers, but
that view is being rapidly suppressed
ed.
The people are coming to see that
their government should be-and
can be-their servant, and not their
master. And as fast as they realize
this they are going to insist on get
ting what they nav for.
Many ideas which would have be
condemned a few years ago as too
socialistic, if not anarchistic, to be
considered, are already being adopt
ed by this and other nations; and
this is only the beginning. The
world is getting ready for a much
greater degree of paternalism than it
has ever before been willing to &C
cept
There will not be any revolutionary
change, but these paternalistic ideas
will be engrafted onto the existing
systems, just as new and improved
fruit scions are grated onto estab-
lished root-stocks, so as to yield bet
tor resuIts Tho old "stapd -patv and
Bourbon" leaders are on the run,
and as President Wilson recently
said, we are emerging into a new
and most interesting reconstructive
era, in which the needs and wishes of
tho mill ,-1o.s.ro. Abc. cox,cid