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Show Social and Political Ills Not to Be Cured by Laws on Statute Books By UNITED STATES SENATOR ROBINSON of Arkansas. A common fallacy prevails that for every social and political ill which mortal flesh is heir to, a complete remedy may be found in some new statute. Sixteen thousand written enactments of diversified subject matter exist already in the United States for the regulation of the ayer-ngc ayer-ngc man's conduct. Laws which confer favors are always at the expense of the general public. Such laws give birth to groups, and encourage them to claim special consideration on the ground that it has been extended to others. The "bloc" system is partly responsible for the almost total lack of public leaders of national influence. The group conflicts at Washington are proof that leadership in a large part is not national in character. The country needs and must have a reinstatement of political philosophy. phil-osophy. Public opinion is divided between Jefferson and Hamilton. The first challenged the right of original capital to control the government. The second championed the cause of the thrifty, the prosperous and successful. suc-cessful. Undoubtedly radical changes have occurred in the social system of the United States, resulting in confused conceptions of private responsibility and of public duty. |