Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-10-30
PERVERSION AND SUBVERSION OF
NAYLONAL- COZ ElRNMNNT

PERN ERSION AND SUBN ERS}ON OF
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
A NY government is denatured, and IN a
~ sense destroyed, when it is put to
= n uses which it was not designed to
serve. Such a process tends to divert it
from the ends it ought to fulfill and devotes
it to purposes foreign to its true functions.
This pernicious tendency with respect to
the federal government is now perilously
prevalent among the people Of the United
States The force of the national govern
ment is invoked and applied to a constantly
increasing number Of matters that do not
concern it.
The sphere of the federal government is
limited by the constitution to such things as
are of a general nature and which no sepa-
rate state could care for as well as they
could be cared for by all the states in union.
The establishment of naval and military
Developments for the defense of the nation
properly belongs to the federal government.
SO also to it appertains the function of
providing for a national currency of uniform
value and as stable as possible.
Likewise the making and enforcement Of
treaties with foreign powers.
The exercise of such pregogatiVes is az
necessary Tor the preservation of the states
as it is indispensable to the perpetuty Of
the union.
But the attempt to use the federal gov
eminent for many other objects is as de-
structiye to the union it is damaging and
dangerous to the states.
Among these misuses of the national gov
eminent was the establishment of the "Unit-
ed States Children's Bureau" which is run
ming rapidly to mischievous meddlesomeness
in a field in which federal power was never
designed to operate.
This bureau was established in 1913, and
the report of the committee of the senate
recommending the passage Of the bill for
its establishment carefully restricted the
area of its operations follows:
1.-The bill is not designed to encrOach on
the rights nor relieve the states from the
duty Of dealing with the subject, but to fur
nsh information to enable them more sue
cessfully to deal with it. It was the opinion
of the committee that the duty devolved pri-
marily upon the states to legislate upon this
most important subject and the states can
more effectively deal with it. But it seemed
to the committee that there was a duty upon
the part of the national government to aid
in getting such information and data with q
view of assisting in the work, and that the
national government could get such Informal
ton and data more effectively than the re-
spective states
In keeping with this recommendation of
the committee of the senate the bill as
passed limited the bureau to making investi-
cations and reporting upon all matters per-
tanning to the welfare of children and child
life among all classes of our people, and
shall especially investigate the question of
infant mortality, the birth rate, Orphanages.
juvenile courts, desertion, dangerous occupa-
tons, accidents, diseases of children, en-
plOyment and legislation affecting children
in the several states and territories.
For these specified purposes of the bu-
reau, the congress appropriated the sum Of
$780, 900.
But the establishment of the "Children's
Bureau" did not stop with such carefully
guarded plan to be executed with SO small
an appropriation. Its proponents never in
tended it should.
One of it's most active advocates said at
the time the bill was passed by which this
bureau was set up by congress, 1--WE shall
not be willing to let the establishment of
the Childrens Bureau mean simply investi-
gation-it must mean power to change
things" And this expressed purpose has
been rapidly carried out.
With the expansion Of the bureau has
been brought forth the so-called maternity
Bill" which has been justly characterized
as "a bill to authorize a board of spinsters
to control maternity and teach the mothers
of the United States how to raise babes.'
The annual appropriation to the bureau is
now 100000, with power to distribute and
supervise the spending of 81 600, 900 more
through agencies operated jointly with those
states that consent to part with their sOyer-
eigny for a share of the appropriation.
Thus in less than dozen years a little
bureau, professdly set up for purpose of in
vestigatiOn and information, has advanced
to point at which it exercises most eX-
traOrdinary and unconstitutional authority
and secures large funds from the federal
treasury that constantly grows larger.
This bureau is now backing what is called
the National Education Bill" which, if
passed, would lead inevitably to the federal