The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-10-01
DEPARTMENT
OF WELFARE,
HARDING IDEA
Creation of Federal Depart.
ment for Promotion of Soc
ial Justice Proposed by Re-
publican Nominee.
He STRIKES OUT ALONE

MARION. Ohio, Oct. 1.-Creation Of
federal department of public welfare
Tor the promotion of social Justice was
proposed here today by Senator Wat.
ren Harding. addressing women gath.
cred at the home of the Republican
presidential candidate. for Social Jus
tlce and Women's Day"
There can be no more efficient way
or advancing a humanitarian pro-
gram, Senator Harding said, than by
adapting the machinery of our federal
government to the purposes we desire
! to attain
CharacteriZing enforcement, or .uv
as paramount measure of social ius-
1ce, Senator Harding said: I'VE must
all condemn without qualification the
failure of enforcement of prohibition,
just as we must all condemn the
failure of established authority to pre-
vent outrages of violence, such az
| lynching"
Senator Harding took social justice
for the theme of his address when
making the proposal for a department
of public welfare of America" he said.
i am aware that l have made step
IN advance of any platform, so have
chosen to speak to you on the prac-
tlcal questionable question of how TO
do the tasks we must do, the things
American conscience is calling to have
done.
Many Problems Ahead.
Welfare of the women and children
of the nation would dominate the first
! interests of the new federal depart.
ment advocated by Senator Harding
/ The scope of it's interests, he said.
would include equal pay for equal
work by women, tine eight hour day
for women, fostering of appointment
of women to ,,7sitions on federal and
state boards of employment, labor ad-
Justment, etc. where women were con
cerned, and normal labor fur women
on the farms.
Regarding industrial workers, both
: men and women, Senator Harding said
he believed the government could as
sist in abolishing unsteady employ
ment. The unrest arising {. ON this
source. he said, is mot condition to
be remedied alone by federal empl0ys
ment bureaus, filling in the gaps -oy
unemployment, but rests largely upon
| conditions of industry which make for
4
closing and opening of industrial
plants and occupations. l am enough
of an optimist to believe that govern
ment can assist in the abolition of
this most unfortunate condition"
Senator Harding added that he even
thought that the government could.
take large part in the second, and
! perhaps, even more important CAM
paign" to make hibhly specialized.
mechanical labor interesting. Ea
viewed it as our duty as a whole
people to see if we cannot make every
| job in the country a small business
of it's own"
| Many Activities.
Among activities coming under sucl,
new. federal department, Senator
Harding named the children's bureau
and the various health agencies of the
federal government. The work of ths
childrens bW eau, Senator Harding
said, must pe extended and made
still more capable of educating and
assisting in prenatal care and early
| infancy"
Next to maternity and childhood, he
said he believed attention must be GEN.
tered upon the public health. while
"alert to the dangers of too much op-
pressive bureaucracy in any great fed.
eral health bureau" he declared he
! wanted TO see the various agencies
grouped together in department of
public welfare" for the promotion of
1.-The most active and sufficient cam
paign against low standards of physi-
cal well-being."
In advancing his proposal of a new
federal department, Senator Harding
said: "Our primary consideration must
be the machinery of administrative
| government, and when the time comes
for us to reorganize our administration
in Washington, we must all stand to-
/ gether for the creation of depart
ment of public welfare.
/. "Wasting Energy"
at is almost useless for us to go on
| expending our energies in advancing
humanitarian policies which we wish
put into effect, and it is useless for
US to hope for the effective admins
tration of humanitarian policies al
ready undertaken by the federal gov
ernment, until we have prepared to
! create an administrative center for the
application of our program.
"At the present time we find social
welfare bureaus and social welfare
undertakings scattered hopelessly
through the departments, sometimes
the one overlapping the work of the
other. and sometimes. iT'eed. engag-
/ ing in chickering's betwee themselves.
The picture is one of inefficiency and
of wasted funds"
| Against paternalism Senator Hard
ing struck vigorous warning. I'm Gre
ating federal departments for the ad-
ministration of social justice and so
| cial welfare we must avoid the fea rft,l
results of bureaucracy" he said.