Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1920-02-06
Circulation Every 1A10C
Evening Yesterday 1.-two
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1920.


In An address recently delivered be-
fore the Saturn Club Of Buffalo, N. Y,
State Senator Henry NJ. Sage of Albany
made a plea to the individual citizen to
raalize his responsibility in the matter
of legislation and 70 do his part IN the
matter of checking what he called the
: menace Of State Socialism" This is
+ subject that deeply concerns the citizens
Z of all other States. as we'll as those OF
the State of New York.
Z Senator Sage . owed that the total
State expend ure out Of the general
fund had increased from $3S, 234 ,s99.3l
in 1910 to S7S.34l ,3l3.01 In 1919, an in
crease of $40. Io6, 6c3.7O, or 104.o9 per
cent. He gave partial list OF State
. activities which included the institu-
tons of the State 1.-THE State hospitals,
the charitable institutions and the PTS
onsl, the debt service, maintenance of
roads, support OF common schools. edu-
cstional department, normal schools,
cansl maintenance, Department of AEri-
culture. and many other kindred matters,
which showed increases averaging $3.50
r~r cent since the year 1910. and the re-
quests for still larger appropriations more
persistent than ever. He continued:
''You all know how propaganda was
used nationally during the war. You all
know the value OF advertising, but have
YOU all stopped to consider how many OF
our laws in this State have been passed
bv those same methods? Propaganda
advertising. protest, intimidatiop-all are
used. There are groups everywhere, gen
orally with highly psid employees whose
business In life it IL to arouse sentiment,
who express that sentiment generally m
the form of demand to Legislators to pass !
LAWS which alsnost invariably cost more |
money, and the people Of the State fall |
for it again and again. Perhaps the !
most notable instance of this successful /
propaganda is the passage OF the prohi-
hilton amendment, which of course cost |
the State millions in revenue; but there |
are many other instances, such as direct /
p.imaries, womsn's suffrage, &c.
"Do YOU realize that there are not
dozen men in the Legislature who bother !!
their heads AZ TO where the money is
coming from? II is perfectly natural
that the most successful legislator is the
one who obtains State money to be spent
in his district or who passes q general
reform or uplift bill which costs large
amount of money 20 administer. ] am
not criticising these legislators. 1t
not up to them 10 consider ways and
means any more than it is up TO you
''On whom, then, docs the response
bility rcst-frst. of course, on the gov
ernor, who has the power of veto, but
almost equally on four men IN the Legs
speaker of the Assembly,
the president pro TEN of the Senate,
and the two chairmen of the financial
committees. In the hurly-burly OF
legislative session the last two named
are the only ones who can possibly keep
constantly before them any consistent
scheme OF expenditure based upon an es-
timated revenue, and in the end they
and the governor should be held re-
sporlsabIe for the States program of ex-
penditures.
The disease is at the root and goes
back OF the governor, back OF the Legs
Iature. 10 the individual citizen. We
must have help, and the help must come /,
rom men like yourselves who will take
N intelligent interest in these matters, i,
realize your responsibilities, and take /,
enough time from your business and
,tber cares TO help mould public opinion
dong same lines. 1t isn't safe any
onger TO go along in the old careless
way, regarding the Legislature as 6
necessary evil and a thing apart. 1t is :
rour Legislature; it represents you and ,
vii represent you, just as truly as it
represents any other group with real /,
ue be sane government instead of ali
he 'isrns' that people with time on
heir hands have TO offer? ] am not a s
,essimist. ! have absolute faith 10 the B
,eople Of the State nf New York, but, O
ust as they aroused themselves in time Z
4 war. Just as they are arousins them f
elves against the menace Of radica.lism
they must arouse themselves to corr
Ut the menace Of State Socialism.
THE sooner we get away from the d
3ea that the State is TO be father and b
oother to every individual in the State h
be sooner We will get back to the feel
ag Of individual responsibility, Of com
annity responsibility, and Of a seIf-re- o
poet which is rapidly becoming thing :
the pas, in large groups Of our popu- u
stiop' Ii
What ous>r a Delaware can fail 70
ppsecisto low thoroughly those uushfsl y