The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-09-30

plain tnat NOT
~ too much i'm.
4 ~ I4X3t3 provement Is to
W53{Hff&SI{ w be looked for in
Cover n m ent
action, he himself makes overstate-
ments about what Government ID &C.
complishing.
But such inconsistencies are practi.
cally universal, and ] think we should
not make too much fuss about them.
This truth about the limitations OF
what governments can accomplish,
that properly interests the President
and the Vice President, Is part OF
larger truth. II the world Is to Inn
prove, that improvement will come In
small units. .....-.@
No Good 10 Exaggerate.
It Is size that seems to be send
ing things to the devil. Empires
are too big; cities are too big; bust.
ness passes from small expert and
personal units TO huge trusts; the
resulting complications are such as
men have neither the brains nor the
morals to handle usefully.
1t does no good to exaggerate what
can be accomplished by our leaders
In high places. The supermak Is
largely a myth. John Stuart Mill
said that the most pernicious mis-
conception OF good government" Ia
imam Of super-human mental &C.
tivtty managing the affairs OF q
mentally passive people"
Most things that amount to much
must be done by people for them
selves right around home. Lord
Bryce, in his recent book about the
workings of democracy, shows a fear
that the more serious interests Of the
mass Of men are being supplanted
by amusement.
Cayour said that. however faulty q
legislative chamber may be, an ante
chamber Is worse.
In other words, democratic govern.
ment, with all its faults, il better
than despotic government, hut we
shall not get the best out OF democ-
racy II we lose interest in inteIlee.
tual activities and fill our minds
merely with diversion, trusting gov.
ernment to take care Of itself.
The Case Of Lincoln.
The saying that every country
means that II has the government
the people will stand for. Also 1t
means that the central government
Ia not a thing apart. The men who
make II up are the product of local
conditions. What happens at Wash
ington il, on the whole, q reflection
enlarged OF what happens in small
towns and around the country fire.
sides In forty-eight states. .
Even Abraham Lincoln said:
II claim not to have controlled
events, but confess plainly that
events have controlled me-"
Lincoln held office in a time of
conclusive strife. In ordinary times
the events that control the ship of
state are the silent tides of opinion
throughout the land.
This Is a helpful gospel for Hard.
ing and Coolidge to be preaching.
The farmer, whatever he may rightly
demand from Washington, must lay
the basis of his progress on his in
creasing success in cooperation.
The laboring men, although they
should take q keen interest in the
national laws, will find their true
path to Industrial democracy in their
ability to save their own capital,
initiate and successfully conduct their
enterprises.
Benefit In Joint Effort.
Capitalists and laborers alike will
worth, by individual experiments at
getting on together in new forms of
joint management than they will
ever gain from their more extended
or from legal enact
ments.
In the field Of Government proper
there must be more devolution. Cen
trail governments are cracking under |
the amount left to them. In a more |
trend, some Of what is
done by the national Government
would be done by the States.
Some of what Is done by the States
would be done by the cities, towns
and villages. The nearer things come
to US the better we do them and the /
more we learn from doing them. With |
all due respect to Caius Julius !
Caesar. It is far better to do import |
ant work in a village than less i'm !
portant work in a metropolis.
.. Curse In Pride Of Size.
Happily, there seems to be some
awakening to <his truth. find young
men, starting out in life, feeling
sort OF obligation to count for the
welfare Of their home towns.
And what Is more imbecile than
the universal boasting about the
growth Of cities, when we all know
that the cities already are much big |
ger than they ought to be? |
Pride in size Is the curse Of the |
world. In close and earnest devotion
to work and problems at hand shall
the worlds salvation be found.
VA. DRY INSPECTOR SHOT
ASlIlI r Liz AWAIrC rnsAI