The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1920-10-01
HARDING URGES
ACTION BEHIND
V0LSTEAD u W
Condemns Law Enforcement of
Prohibition Act ''WithOut
Qualification"
FOR A NEW DEPARTMENT
Tells Women U. S. Needs a De-
partment of Public Welfare
in Government
FOR A NEW DEPARTMENT

demned without qualification"
today by Senator Warren Hard
ing in a front porch speech out
lining a policy or organized fed
eral effort for the promotion of
social justice and welfare.
Addressing a gathering o f
women, the Republican nominee
proposed establishment of a "de-
partment Of public welfare" in
the national government an d
added that in his opinion law
enforcement was one Of the i'm
portant requisites Of social
progress.
Senator Harding took social Justice
for the theme of his address. When
making the proposal for department
of public welfare to America" he said,
Il am aware that I have made step
in advance of any platform. have
chosen to speak to you on the practic
al questionable question of how to do
the tasks we must do, the things
American conscience is calling to have
done"
Welfare of the women and chill
dren of the nation was dominated the
first interests of the new federal de-
partment advocated by Senator Hard
ing. The scope of it's interests. he
said, would include equal pay for
equal work by women, the eight hour
day for women, fostering Of appoint
ment of women to positions on federal
and state boards of employment, la
Dor adjustment, ETC., where women
were concerned, and normal labor for
women on the farms.
Regarding industrial workers, both
said he believed the government could
assist in abolishing unsteady employ
ment. The unrest arising from this
source. he said is mot a condition to
be remedied alone by federal en-
ployment bureaus filling in the gaps
of unemployment, but rest largely up
on conditions Of industry. which make
FOR seasonal production and periodical
closing and opening of industria!
plants and occupations. am enough
OF al optimist to believe that govern
ment can assist n the abolition of this
unfortunate condition"
Governments Part
Senator Harding added that he
thought that the government could
take large part in the second and.
perhaps. even more important CAM
paign' to make highly specialized me.
chanical labor interesting. He viewed
it as ''our duty as whole people to
see if we cannot make every job in
the country a small business Of it's
own"
Among activities coming under such
new federal department Senator
Harding named the children's bureau
and the various health agencies of
the federal government. The work of
the children's bureau, Senator Hard
ing said, must be extended aad made
still more capable Of educating and
assisting in prenatal care and carly
infancy"
Next to maternity and childhood he
said be believed attention must be
centered upon the public health.
While "alert to the dangers OF too
much oppressive bureaucracy in any
great federal health bureau" he de-
clared he wanted to see the various
agencies grouped together in a de-
partment of public welfare" for the
promotion of the most active AMI
sufficient campaign against low stand
ards Of physical weIl-being."
In advancing his proposal of a new
federal department, Senator Harding
said:
while others may have their eyes
fixed upon some particular piece of
legislation. or some particular 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 administrative government, and
that 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.
> Wasted Effort
1T is almost useless for us to 20 on
eXpending our energies in advancing
policies which we wish
put into effect, and it is useless for
us to hope for the effective admins
tratlon 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
scattered hopelessly
through the departments, sometimes
the one overlapping the work of the
other, and sometimes, indeed. engag-
ing in chickering's between themselves.
The picture is one of inefficiency and
of wasted funds
Against paternalism Senator Hard
ing struck vigorous warning. "In Gre
ating federal departments for the ad-
of social justice and So
cial welfare, we must avoid the fear
full results of bureaucracy" he said
When we create in Washington
strong federal government and under
take, even the most humanitarian pur-
poses. new federal burdens. let us with
all reverence pray that we shall never
by this means put to sleep the spirit,
the sense of duty, and the activities Of
the communities and neighborhoods OF
the United States"