The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1923-06-22

tence, that after ali If the police pow
ers of the government merely make
| it possible for the government to pro-
vide protection and the right to eX-
list, it is not doing its full share as a
government. The constitution was in
terpreted as meaning that police pow
er transcends property rights, so thar
it was possible to pass the food and
drugs act which said that person
could not sell you poison and call it
food. 1t had to be labelled. Fifteen
or twenty years ago that would have
been impossible. Today it is taken for
granted. AS an extension of that the
police power of the United States IS
| interpreted to include the right to
regulate child labor, the right to reg
ulate the working Of women in indus
TRY, the right to regulate industry
for the safety of the employee, the
right to say to the mine owner that
he must put in certain devices if the
men are to work there, that elevators,
for instance, must be equipped with
safety devices. People working in a
store must have rest room, place
to sit down. The term "life" has been
/ interpreted by the Supreme Court or
the United States to mean something
more than an existence, and so those
who wrote the charter Of the Red
Cross, when they inserted the clause
calling for preventative measures,
were really very far sighted.
Way back in 1912 the American
Red Cross recognized that merely to
respond after the emergency occur
red, merely to pick up the broken
bones, was not the whole function of
the Red Cross, which had definite
responsibility not only implied but
stated in it's charter-to prevent Tho
Red Cross has taken every possible
step to study the prevention of emer-
gencies. Disaster Is likely to strike
any community, it is impossible 10
tell in advance, but we do know that
tornadoes occur in certain parts Of
the United States, that floods occur in
other parts, and so we are able to ad-
wise our Chapters as to the kind OF
supplies which should be kept on
hand and what should be done in case
Of emergency.
In 1912 the American Red Cross
recognized what has been brought
home so forcibly to the general pub
lie during the war-that the Amert-
can people are facing a disaster,
which, although not spectacular in
it's nature, presents the greatest en-
Urgency that it is possible for any ma
ton to face-the fact that more PEG.
pie die every year from preventative
causes, causes which might have been
prevented had they been discoveries
in childhood, than could possibly be
killed by any cataclysm or fire or
shipwreck. 1t is repetition to call 70
your attention the condition Of the
American people when it was dis
covered that more than one-third OF
the young men supposedly in the
prime of life were not fit to fight,
were not fit to be taken into the Am
erican army because, in large per-
centage of cases, they were suffering
from conditions which, if taken care
of in childhood might have been pre-
vented. Yet we think the war is over
and there is no emergency. There are
existing agencies for public health,
nursing organizations, ETC., but they
are in communities where congestion
prevails In 1912 the Red Cross plac-
ed it's first public health nurse in a
rural community. Public health nurs-
es have been placed in such commnn-
tiles until today there are more than
1900 communities previously unserv-
ed by any agency in that field haV-
ing Red Cross Public Health Nursing
Service. This is not taking into con-
sideration the services that have been
established by public authorities be-
cause the Red Cross inspired it. The
American Red Cross before the war
was carrying on definite program OF
public health in another respect by
lending it's name and it's symbol in
the sale of Red Cross seals. This seal
is no longer the Red Cross seal, but
for many years it was sold as such in
the tuberculosis fight. 1t was the Am
eTlCdH fteQ SIOSS ludl put ILO TAhIi-
tuberculosis Association where 1t is
today, where it is raising or hopes to
raise this Christmas time the sum or
five million to fight tuberculosis IN
this country.
The American Red Cross did no,
devise peace time program after the
war. 1t went on with its permanent
which began in 1912. Today
there is chapter in nearly every |
in the United States. The |
chapters which were created are I'M
dertaking not to put on hew pro-
gram so much as an extension OF the
to more communities in the
United States.
In connection with these activities
I often think of the negro soldier who
was in the war. He disappeared on
Armistice Day. They finally caught
him in Paris and brought him back.
The Captain said, Sam where have
you been" 81 enlisted for the dura-
ton Of the war, and the war is over"
said Sam The Captain said "The