The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1920-10-23
Tells $1,000 Women He Favors
Department in Defense of
Mothers, Childhood and
Public Health
TO ADVANCE SOCIAL JUSTICE.
Emphasizes Need of Safeguard
ing Women on American Farms.
Stands for Enforcement of Law

eral Department of Public Welfare TO
function In defense of maternity, child
hood and public health was proposed
by Senator Harding in a speech on So
cial justice to 5000 women who came
the compass.
Such a department, said Senator
Harding, must "avoid the fearful re
suits of bureaucracy. There can be
no more efficient way of advancing a
humanitarian program" he said. than
by adapting the machinery of our Fed.
eral Government to the purposes we
desire to attain. While others may
have their eyes fixed upon some par
ticular piece of legislation or more par
ticular policy of social justice which
calls for the sympathetic interest of us
all, l say, without hesitation, that
our primary consideration must be the
machinery of administration, and that
when the time comes for us to re-
organize our administrative govern
ment in Washington we must all stand
together for the creation Of a Depart
ment of Public Welfare.
II pledge myself today" he said, "to
support with all that Is in me whatever
practical policy of social welfare and
social Justice can be brought forward
by the combined wisdom of all Ameri
cans. Nothing can concern America.
and nothing can concern me as an
American, more deeply than the
health, the happiness and the enlight-
enment of every fellow American.
Must Avoid P~aternalism.
"The social justice that l conceive is
not pa%ternalism. 1t would be easy to
make 1t so, and dangerous indeed to
the best spirit that Americans can
have-the spirit of expressing by the
individual free will ones own merits,
capacity and worth. We do not want
government to suppress that express
sion Of free will, even by benevolence,
but we do mean to preserve in Ameri-
ca an equal opportunity and a pre-
paredness for self-expression therein,
even though we use the government
to do 1t.
81 believe that there is no step more
practical, no step which will mean
more Il the growth of Americas so
cial welfare; no step which will guar
antee better Americas social justice,
than one which l propose to you.
Dangers to Be Avoided.
81 have no doubt that there will be
some who will find in this proposal
cause for calling me an extremist, but
when we have a task to do, which has
been dictated by our conscience and
approved by our wisdom, let US
straightway find the way to do 1t. l
do not say this without a word of
caution. l recognize certain dangers
which are always presented when gov
eminent undertakes large and detailed
tasks"
Tasks of Social Justice.
Senator Harding pointed out the
necessity of going forward supon a
sure footing and declared:
when making the proposal for a
department of public welfare to
America, l am aware that | have made
a step in advance of any platform.
"We all know that we face tasks of
social justice. which we must under
take with dispatch and efficiency. Who
can suggest one of these tasks which
can supersede in our hearts, or in the
rank which foresight and wisdom will
give nat of the protection of our ma
ternity?
THE protection of the motherhood
of America can not be accomplished
until the state and the nation have en-
acted and, by their example, have en-
forced customs, which protect wom-
anhood itself. l know full we'll that
there are women who insist that wom-
en- shall be treated upon the same
basis that men are treated"
Senator Harding discussed the need
of adequate protection for women in
industry and expressed his belief in
the wisdom of an e%ight-hour day for
women workers. He emphasized the
need of safeguarding the women on
American farms. He proposed putting
the Children's Bureau under the sug-
gested Department of Public Welfare.
and urged prevention of abuses of
child labor.
Il must not fail.7' Senator Harding
went on, Ito speak to you today of one
of the measures of social justice and
social welfare not often catalogued in
this manner, but perhaps more impor-
tant than any we have considered. !
refer to the enforcement of law. liz
will not be my business when elected
to decide what laws shall be. 1t will
be legitimate for me to invoke public
opinion for their enactment, but such
a call TO public opinion must be based
more upon the duty of the Executive
Of the nation to give facts TO the PEG
pie than upon his desire to give opin
ION theory and propaganda. The Ell
forcement of the law is an ENrcutiv,
RESPONSIBILITY and must be under
raken by the Executive without regar,
for his personal approval or disap
proval of the law. which il has beer
the peoples will to enact"