A Bismarckian Measure

Mention has been made of Bismarck's favorite plan for abolishing pauperism in the Germán empire. The plan is downrigbt state socialista, pure and simple. It originates with Bismarck himself, however, and not with some poor, half starved, long haired crec.ture, out at elbow8 and hunted of men,, and that makes all the difference in the world. The chancellor's system for abolishing the poor consists of three different laws, the last of which has passed the reichstag. In 1883 a law was enacted providing for the insurance of the workingman against sickness. During health a small sum, amounting to 1$ or 2 per cent. of hifi wages, is required by law to be paid iuto the sick fund. His employer is obliged to pay one-third of the sum. During illness the workingman receives half pay for a term not exceeding thirteen weeks. If he goes to the hospital his family receive half his allowance. The next step on the road to state socialism was an accident insurance law, enacted in 1884 lts operation extends to sailors, tillers of the soil and to workmen in the building trades. Employers must pay all of the guarantee fund in accident insurance. The workman vho is entirely disabled by accident receives as a pension two-thirds of his regular pay and a proportional sum for partial disablement. If he is killed liis widow receives as pension 20 per cent. of his 9 and cach child 15 per cent., up to 60 per cent., which is the limit. A man'a fellow workmen are the jury to pass on the amount of injury he has received. It will have a tendency to niake employers careful of those in their hire. The third and 'ast law is the oíd age insurance act. It goes into operation in 1891. Uuder its provisions all Germans, male and female, above 10 years old, who work for wages, must p.iy regularly into a stale insurance fund to take care of them when they aro too old to labor or become invalid. Employers pay half the sum required for this fund and employee half. The paymenta are very small, being trom 3 to 7J cents a week. From these insignificant evaaa will be Becured pensions ranging from 15 to $01. The Btate adds in cach case $10 a year to the pension. The government pays the insurancoof men while they are in military servioe. In a free republic, where working people get good wageB, why can they not do for tl iwhat Bismarck and the government aredoing for the lal classes in üermany?