Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1918-05-17
GERMANY CONCEALS
ITS PAUPER|SM

The claim that pauperism in Ger
many is unknown because of social
reform laws is shown to be false by
Gustavus Myers, writing for the
American Alliance for Labor and
Democracy This investigator says:
"The idea that pauperism was
about extinct in Germany became
more than an impression. 1t settled
in the minds of many people here
into such a fixed belief that even
after war was declared by the United
States, a prominent socialist in Min
nesota in public speech there said:
What If the Germans do come over
here and rule us? What do we care
who governs us so long as we are we'll
fed and happy?'
"He was simply voicing what 9TH
ers who had imbibed German propa-
ganda were saying in private. They
had absorbed SO much of the praise
of the German governments schemes
for the prevention of poverty that
they took it for granted that those
schemes were both genuine and sue
cessful.
"The unusually significant fact
that the German government neither
published nor apparently had any
comprehensive statistics on pauper-
ism in Germany was unnoticed. Here
was a potent fact that instantly
should have aroused suspicion End
lessly had the German government
Dragged Of it's thoroughness and ex-
cellence in gathering the most
minute statistical details about any
thing and everything. Why did 1t or
its states not have the full facts on
pauperism, or If it had them why did
It not publish them? Had there been
such a big omission in the United
States German critics would nave
been the first to raise an cutlery about
official suppression of important
facts.
German officials knew we'll that
pauperism statistics had greater
Significance than any other kind.
These statistics were the real test OF
Germany's boastings. And why? Fos
Germany were as ideal as they we're
represented, pauperism should have
become nonexistent. II. also Ger
many's compulsory social insurance
schemes had been SO successful as
they were lauded in the yaunted OBJ
ject of removing poverty. the Stats
tics would have shown the gradually
diminishing number Of paupers, year
by year.
"Well-informed Germans knew
that there was plenty of pauperism.
They knew that much Of 1t was down.
right restitution. and that much more
was the same but disguised from SUI
perficial view by palliative coverings.
But the mass of Germans were effect
lively chloroformed by the govern
ment.. With every motion of their
life regulated, their beliefs and views
were also regulated. When they were
told to believe that everything was
going on happily and tremendously
and that the compulsory social tnsur-
ance laws were a great benevolence
and benefit the most of them be-
lieved 1t. Officially assured that pau
perism thereby had been immensely
reduced they believed this. too. &C
cepting the Official word against the
evidence of their own observation
and experience Their national pride
was fattered by this agreeable mis-
representation.
"Germany's compulsory sickness
and workingmen's accident insurance
system dates from 1883-84; its in
validity and old-age inusrance from
1889. The main convincing argu-
ment used in adopting these compul-
sorry schemes was that the powerful
Intervention of the state was neces-
sary to force people to submit to