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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 16, 1906)
"'-yiii'SIIJHpypiiiipi ' p,u.j,,iiiijj!r-i i.!-ifj WO "Dft 1, 1906 The Commoner. WORLD PROBLEMS Each locality has its questions of interest; each state has subjects which arouse discussion; each nation has its issues of paramount impor tance, and the world has its problems. There are transient questions which come and go and ques tions which, like Tennyson's brook, "go on forever." Each generation, in each country, meets the issues presented by conditions, but all the nations of the earth are constantly grap pling with problems universal in their scope and everlasting in duration. In his famous oration at Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln spoko of an "un finished work" which those buried there had promoted and to which the living should dedicate themselves. Every generation finds an unfinished work when it enters upon life's stage and leaves the work unfinished when it departs. The work of civilization is ever an unfinished one for the reason that new problems present themselves as soon as present ones have been solved. In our trip around the world we have had an opportu nity to note some of the problems which most concern all peoples at all times. The first con cerns the legitimate sphere of the government what should the government, acting for all the people, do, and what should be left to tho in dividual? This subject Is under consideration in every civilized nation, and no two nations have reached the same solution. At the two ex tremes stand the individualist and the socialist the former jealously guarding the individual and opposing any encroachments upon his sphere of action, the latter emphasizing tho work of the state and seeking to convert tho work of produc tion and the work of distribution into state func tions. Between these extremes stand the mass of the people, governed moro by the exigencies of each individual case than by the theories put forward by individualist and socialist. In some jdirections the countries of Europe and Asia h,ave extended the sphere of government beyond any thing known in the United States; in some re spects our government has enlarged the sphere of ,the state beyond anything attempted in the old World, but everywhere the tendency is to extend rather than to diminish the sphere of 'the state's activities. In the United States the public school is probably the best illustration of extensive co-operation on the part of the public. We regard the education of the people as a matter of public importance so vital a matter, in fact, that we no 'longer depend upon the private school. The private school has its place, and its establish ment is encouraged by localities and regarded with favor by the government, but the people acting as a whole insist that the school door shall be open to every child born into tho country. In the last quarter of a century much advance has been made in the- establishment by the public of technical schools, such as law schools medical colleges, dentistry schools, industrial schools and agricultural colleges. Probably the greatest com parative advance has been made in the matter pf agricultural, colleges and experiment stations. In Europe the public school system is spreading, more rapidly in northern than in southern Europe, but not less surely in southern Europe. In Asia the people are just beginning to recog nize education as a public function a part of the state's work. In Japan public instruction has for some years been modeled after the systems employed in the United States and Europe. In 'Asia the public school is of a more modern origin, but some idea of the rapidity with which the public school is spreading in China may be known from the fact that four thousand public schools have been established within five years in the district of one of the viceroys. Municipal ownership presents another phase of this subject; a century ago comparatively few cities in this country or Europe owned their own waterworks; now it is the exception that any city of any size relies upon a private corporation for its water supply. City lighting is having the same history although municipalization began later than with the waterworks. Now comes the question of street car lines, and as the same principles apply, the same inevitable trend toward municipal ownership is noticeable. The exper ience of all the cities has been practically the same; first, liberal franchises to induce the es tablishment of water, light or street car plants; Second, efforts at regulation and restriction, made 'futile by the corrupt influence of the franchise companies; third, municipal ownership as a pro tection to the people and as a means of purifying politics. In the extent to which municipal owner ship has been carried Great Britain leads tho MR. BRYAN'S FORTY-FOURTH LETTER world, although in other countries some cities like Vienna have rivalled the cities of Great Britain. Ac In.noarl,y all of tho countries of Europe and Asia the telegraph lines aro now owned by tho government, and in most of the cities tho tele phone system is also owned by tho public. It is hardly necessary to say that in all countries of any standing the mail service is now in tho hands of the government. There is very noticeablo growth In the government ownership of rail roads. Many years ago tho government owner ship of railroads was tested in various Euro pean nations and the tendency toward the exten sion of government mileage and tho diminution of tho mileage of privately owned roads has been constant. In some countries there is still com petition between tho government lines and the lines owned by private corporations, but ex perience leaves no doubt that tho lines owned by the government will ultimately supplant tho roads in private hands. Switzerland has within four years purchased tho main railroad system within her territory; Japan has within a year extended the government railroads by purchas ing some of the roads in private hands, and the Indian government is planning to absorb moro of the privately owned lines. In France a num ber of the railroads hold fifty year charters, which have now more than half expired, and which pro vide for the surrender of the lines to tho govern ment at the end of that period the government in the meantime guaranteeing a fixed interest and an annual contribution to the sinking .fund. While local considerations and local condi tions have much to do in the determination of each case, there is one general principle which is becoming more and more clearly outlined as the question of government ownership is discussed, namely, that when a monopoly becomes necessary it must be government monopoly and not monopoly in private hands. In other words, the principle now most familiarly applied is, "competition where competition is possible; government mo nopoly where competition is impossible." I havo not space for the discussion of details; many different methods have been employed in differ ent countries for the acquiring of private plants by the city or state, and different methods have been employed in different countries for the elim ination of the political element from public ser vice. Those who havo faith in the intelligence and capacity of the people havo confidence that they will be able to reduce to a minimum any dangers attendant upon a course which they be lieve to be necessary to their own welfaro. The fact that after more than a quarter of a century of experience no retrograde movement is to be observed furnishes some proof that the dangers anticipated have not in practice been shown to be insurmountable. Another world problem is to be found in the effort to fix woman's place in the social economy. No one can travel around tho world without not ing the' wide difference that exists between the treatment of woman in different countries. In -the Orient woman has, until comparatively recent years, occupied a very inferior position. In no respect has the influence of the west upon tho east been more marked than in the elevation of woman. Even in Japan, where for half a cen tury the ideas of America and Europe have found vigorous growth, woman's position ig not yet equal to man's. The education of boys received , attention before the education of the girls, but the girls' schools are now multiplying in number and in attendance. Traveling in the country one still sees the blackened teeth, it formerly having been regarded as the proper thing for a woman to make her teeth black after marriage but among the young generation the custom is unknown. In China woman has not only lagged behind man in education, but she has been subjected to a tor ture known as foot-binding which is to be found nowhere else. Societies aro now being formed to discourage tho practice but it is sad to learn how slowly this reform has grown. In both Japan and China plural marriage, or what has been equivalent to plural marriage, has been common. The man has been allowed to take unto himself as many wives as ho could support without asking the consent pf former wives a practice which seems strange to those who have been brought ' up to regard the marriage vows as mutually bind ing and to consider man and. woman as stand- ing upon an equal plane when entering upon the relation of husband and wife. In India child marriage is one of the worst customs that has afflicted these unhapply people. Girls have boon given in marriage when only nino or ton years old, and a widow of twolvo or tfilrtcon is not unusual. Ite-marrinco of widows is not permitted under Hindu ctmtom bu tee, or tho burning of tho widow formoHy' mem ami Aiabla tho women aro still vollnii nmi excluded from tho society of men It Is dinicul Mr10."10 I08B that hn como to Hode y rom S civilization co-operation In tho work goodiXTT m"V8 pofi,Uon lB not thn nil, J" ,n tho Un,tG(1 States, although In tho Christian countries her rights are moro re- MaxCt O'nen 'thoL lZ& 8av fhV ir fc ty, Ironch lcctrer, used to say that if he was going to bo born a woman ho would pray to bo born in tho United States' n ? a hap?y ,xnrc8B,n. 'or surely there is l CUntry In wh,ch B0 hIh an oatlmato is placed upon woman or whore sho moro fully shares In both tho joys and responsibilities of nhH-iSV110 8,l11)01r,or,tr of her position sho has Christianity and education to thank; Christianity lias ever recognized woman's equality with man and education has fitted her to bo a real help mate In life. A third nuestlon which one meets ovorywhoro s the labor question. In Europo It Is a question between labor and capital and tho laborer Is or ganizing for the advancement of his welfare. The guild and the labor organization havo long sought to enlarge tho laborer's share of tho joint profit of labor and capital and to improve the condi tions which fonn his environment. Tho efforts of these societies have mainly boon directed, first, toward the Imnrovoment of sanitary conditions; second, toward the shortening of hours; and third, toward an increase in wages. It looks like a re flection on mankind in general to say that labor ing men should have to ask legislation to protect their lives while at work. It would seem that employers would of their own accord regard tho safety and tho health of employes as of para mount Importance, and yet, it has been necessary even in the United States to compel tho build ing of air-shafts in mines and to force tho use of safety appliances on railroads and street car lines and in tho operation of machinery. Still more strange Is It that It should be necessary to fix a minimum age at which children can bo em ployed. Tho very sight of little boys and girls working in factories at tho expense of thejr physical growth and their mental development Is so revolting that one can hardly understand how such legislation can be necessary, and yet, throughout Europe and the United States labor ing men through their organizations havo been compelled to fight for the protection of the chil dren of the poor. la Asia tho inauguration of factories has not yet been followed by the pro tection of the children. Reforms advanco In groups. It Is seldom that one real reform is achieved alone, so the limita tion of hours of labor has, as a rule, accompanied legislation for the protection of children and for "the improvement of sanitary conditions in mines and work shops. Those who now enjoy an eight hour day can remember the nine-hour day arid tho ten-hour day, but can, hardly recall tho days of twelve or fourteen hours. In the factories that are starting up in the Orient long hours are tho rule and with long hours ihfre Is the attendant degradation of the toiler. , The demand for the eight-hour day is an international one and the laboring man Is gradually winning his fight, partly by an appeal to conscience, and partly bv proof that tho highest efficiency is inconsistent with long hours. In the raising of wages two factors have been at work the labor organization and the higher efficiency that has come with more universal edu cation. Tho educated workman can earn more than the Ignorant one and he soon demands a compensation commensurate with his services. The labor saving machine has played no un important part in Increasing the workman's com pensation. It has raised the quality of' the work done and has brought into use a higher grade of skill than was formerly employed. While the labor saving machine Is by some regarded as an tagonistic to the welfare of the laborer, no far sighted observer can fail 'to note that It has In creased rather than diminished the number em ployed at the work into which it has been Intro duced, while it has Introduced a higher skill which, in turn, has secured a higher compensation. Tho handling of a railroad locomotive requires more skill than tho handling of a freight team and HftMWIiii1iiilirmt;T11",t(i--t -" -y f-f f - k X-k ml - i. b 4 . , jim.