| Show A LIFE GIVING LAW three years after the curtain had fallen on a world worldwide wide vide panorama of murder and destruction our president set his signature to a piece of legislation intended solely to stay death and promote life the shep pard towner act providing for federal appropriations to carry on maternity and child welfare the bill was automatically repealed on june 30 of this year but its seven year record stands as a remarkable program of quiet but effective constructiveness A survey of this record for the year ending june 30 1928 has just been published by the U S department part ment of labor all but three states of the union have cooperated with the federal government in this work by appropriating pria ting funds and establishing childrens bureaus corresponding to the bureau at washington state officials worked side by side with national aides the aim was always to reach the mother and through the mother the child this was done through child conferences maternity conferences visits to private homes and by encouraging queries and requests for aid examinations and advice were given freely in the year 1928 maternity mater niky and child health conferences were conducted by physicians in eight states hundreds of volunteer workers assisted the public officials in their tremendous task letters of gratitude on file in the childrens bureau at washington are ample te testimony sti mony to the effectiveness of this humane undertaking prom from tho the lonely cabin on the in mountain younmin side to the cluttered slums of big cities uncle sams faithful cohorts have made their presence felt and left their gifts of better understanding a and nd happier living and the fact will cause no surprise in the minds of those who have been acquainted with the policy of our government for the past several years in dealing with international questions our government has steadfastly refused to become involved in european diplomatic and financial complications although the united states was represented at the young conference it was in an unofficial and not an official capacity and it was made plainly understood at the time that our government would not consent to have the question of our european debts tied up with the allied german reparations question it was understood also that the united states government would not become involved in the proposed bank for international settlements in an official capacity in other words uncle sam while always willing to help for the stability of world conditions desires to retain his independence of action it was only natural therefore that the united states would seek to make its own debt pact with germany and that this is being done will be a source of satisfaction to those who do not want this government intimately connected with the political and financial entanglements entangle ments of europe the reason given at washington for the separate debt pact with germany independent of the young debt settlement plan is that the government wants to keep away from transactions through the proposed international ter bank the matters we have to settle with germany of course grew out of the costs of the american occupation on the rhine and the payment of rewards granted to american claimants the negotiations tiati ons it was stated are being carried on through jacob gould schurman the american ambassador to germany since the united stats states did not participate officially in the young conference it was necessary to make some sort of an agreement with germany to protect the interests of our government which is not a party to the agreement worked out by the experts at the young conference since the united states will not be a party to the international bank it is is understood that the agreement which is being drawn up at berlin will provide for the payment direct by germany to he united states of the share in reparations payments which we have coming to us this amount of course is but a small fraction of the reparations total to tal and is principally for rhine army occupation costs the present action of this country has good precedent it will be remembered that the united states was not a party to the treaty of versailles but that the senate negotiated a separate treaty with germany in in which all of our rights under the versailles treaty between germany and the allies were fully p protected protected that we did n not ot ratify the versailles treaty has undoubtedly saved the united states a great deal of trouble and embarrassment luring during the stormy days of european reconstruction for this reason the negotiation of a separate debt pact with germany is justified especially in view of the fact that in negotiating the agreement the national administration will be carrying out the time honored foreign policy of the united states government |
