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Show uu EVIL OF CENTRALIZATION. In the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Iroland it has been proposed pro-posed to unload .much of (ho work now being done by the Imperial government gov-ernment upon local parliaments, first In Ireland and later probably in Scotland. Scot-land. Wales and England. Careful thinkers, however much they may diffor as to the details of the pending home-rule bill for Ireland, agree that the underlying principle of this process pro-cess of evolution, when fully carried out, will greatly Strengthen' the United Unit-ed Kingdom and the British empire because of tho fuller and more wholesome whole-some development of each of tho four constituent parts of the United Kingdom King-dom and the liberation of tho parliament parlia-ment at Westminster for tho larger questions affecting the ompire as a whole. If In these small, but thicklv populated islands of Great Britain nn'd Ireland tho wisest men think that the development of strong local parliaments parlia-ments for each of the four constituents constitu-ents England, Scotland . Wales and Ireland is essential to the best and largest development of the United Kingdom as a whole, what can le said as to tho very opposite tendency which in recont yoars has been permitted per-mitted to go unchecked in thiB continental conti-nental republic covering an area equal to all of Europe except Russia and with a population soon probably to equal that of Great Britain. Ireland France and Germany combined? Fortunate For-tunate from the very beginning in having separate state governments, with clearly defined areas of activity, wo have sinco the Civil -war, and especially es-pecially during the last twenty years, permitted the state governments to become weaker and weaker and our regard for their functions to become less and less. The time has come to roverso that process, if nlong with a national authority strong enough to preserve, promote and protect us in all our common Interests, we aro to continue to enjoy local self-government Address of John Maynard Harlan to the Kentucky State Bar. |