the man versus the state-第18章

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r　property　in　getting　judges'　interpretations。　And　again；　this　system　of　putting　networks　of　districts　over　other　networks；　with　their　conflicting　authorities；　is　quite　consistent　with　the　method　under　which　the　reader　of　the　Public　Health　Act　of　1872；　who　wishes　to　know　what　are　the　powers　exercised　over　him；　is　referred　to　26　preceding　Acts　of　several　classes　and　numerous　dates。（13*）　So；　too；　with　administrative　inertia。　Continually　there　occur　cases　showing　the　resistance　of　officialism　to　improvements；　as　by　the　Admiralty　when　use　of　the　electric　telegraph　was　proposed；　and　the　reply　was　　〃We　have　a　very　good　semaphore　system；〃　or　as　by　the　Post　Office；　which　the　late　Sir　Charles　Siemens　years　ago　said　had　obstructed　the　employment　of　improved　methods　of　telegraphing；　and　which　since　then　has　impeded　the　use　of　the　telephone。　Other　cases　akin　to　the　case　of　industrial　dwellings；　now　and　then　show　how　the　State　with　one　hand　increases　evils　which　with　the　other　hand　it　tries　to　diminish；　as　when　it　puts　a　duty　on　fire…insurances　and　then　makes　regulations　for　the　better　putting　out　of　fires：　dictating；　too；　certain　modes　of　construction；　which；　as　Captain　Shaw　shows；　entail　additional　dangers。（14*）　Again；　the　absurdities　of　official　routine；　rigid　where　it　need　not　be　and　lax　where　it　should　be　rigid；　occasionally　become　glaring　enough　to　cause　scandals；　as　when　a　secret　State…document　of　importance；　put　into　the　hands　of　an　ill…paid　copying　clerk　who　was　not　even　in　permanent　Government　employ；　was　made　public　by　him；　or　as　when　the　mode　of　making　the　Moorsom　fuse；　which　was　kept　secret　even　from　our　highest　artillery　officers；　was　taught　to　them　by　the　Russians；　who　had　been　allowed　to　learn　it；　or　as　when　a　diagram　showing　the　〃distances　at　which　British　and　foreign　iron…clads　could　be　perforated　by　our　large　guns；〃　communicated　by　an　enterprising　attache　to　his　own　Government；　then　became　known　〃to　all　the　Governments　of　Europe；〃　while　English　officers　remained　ignorant　of　the　facts。（15*）　So；　too；　with　State…supervision。　Guaranteeing　of　quality　by　inspection　has　been　shown；　in　the　hall…marking　of　silver；　to　be　superfluous；　while　the　silver　trade　has　been　decreased　by　it；（16*）　and　in　other　cases　it　has　lowered　the　quality　by　establishing　a　standard　which　it　is　useless　to　exceed：　instance　the　case　of　the　Cork　butter…market；　where　the　higher　kinds　are　disadvantaged　in　not　adequately　profiting　by　their　better　repute；（17*）　or；　instance　the　case　of　herring…branding　（now　optional）　the　effect　of　which　is　to　put　the　many　inferior　curers　who　just　reach　the　level　of　official　approval；　on　a　par　with　the　few　better　ones　who　rise　above　it；　and　so　to　discourage　these。　But　such　lessons　pass　unlearned。　Even　where　the　failure　of　inspection　is　most　glaring；　no　notice　is　taken　of　it；　as　instance　the　terrible　catastrophe　by　which　a　train　full　of　people　was　destroyed　along　with　the　Tay　bridge。　Countless　denunciations；　loud　and　unsparing；　were　vented　against　engineer　and　contractor；　but　little；　if　anything；　was　said　about　the　Government　officer　from　whom　the　bridge　received　State…approval。　So；　too；　with　prevention　of　disease。　It　matters　not　that　under　the　management　or　dictation　of　State…agents　some　of　the　worst　evils　occur；　as　when　the　lives　of　87　wives　and　children　of　soldiers　are　sacrificed　in　the　ship　Accrington；（18*）　or　as　when　typhoid　fever　and　diphtheria　are　diffused　by　a　State…ordered　drainage　system；　as　in　Edinburgh；（19*）　or　as　when　officially…enforced　sanitary　appliances；　ever　getting　out　of　order；　increase　the　evils　they　were　to　decrease。（20*）　Masses　of　such　evidence　leave　unabated　the　confidence　with　which　sanitary　inspection　is　invoked　　invoked；　indeed；　more　than　ever；　as　is　shown　in　the　recent　suggestion　that　all　public　schools　should　be　under　the　supervision　of　health…officers。　Nay；　even　when　the　State　has　manifestly　caused　the　mischief　complained　of；　faith　in　its　beneficent　agency　is　not　at　all　diminished；　as　we　see　in　the　fact　that；　having　a　generation　ago　authorized；　or　rather　required；　towns　to　establish　drainage　systems　which　delivered　sewage　into　the　rivers；　and　having　thus　polluted　the　sources　of　water…supply；　an　outcry　was　raised　against　the　water…companies　for　the　impurities　of　their　water　　an　outcry　which　continued　after　these　towns　had　been　compelled；　at　vast　extra　cost；　to　revolutionize　their　drainage　systems。　And　now；　as　the　only　remedy；　there　follows　the　demand　that　the　State；　by　its　local　proxies；　shall　undertake　the　whole　business。　The　State's　misdoings　become；　as　in　the　case　of　industrial　dwellings；　reasons　for　praying　it　to　do　more。　　　　　　This　worship　of　the　legislature　is；　in　one　respect；　indeed；　less　excusable　than　the　fetish…worship　to　which　I　have　tacitly　compared　it。　The　savage　has　the　defence　that　his　fetish　is　silent　　does　not　confess　its　inability。　But　the　civilized　man　persists　in　ascribing　to　this　idol　made　with　his　own　hands；　powers　which　in　one　way　or　other　it　confesses　it　has　not　got。　I　do　not　mean　merely　that　the　debates　daily　tell　us　of　legislative　measures　which　have　done　evil　instead　of　good；　nor　do　I　mean　merely　that　the　thousands　of　Acts　of　Parliament　which　repeal　preceding　Acts；　are　so　many　tacit　admissions　of　failure。　Neither　do　I　refer　only　to　such　quasi…governmental　confessions　as　that　contained　in　the　report　of　the　Poor　Law　Commissioners；　who　said　that　　〃We　find；　on　the　one　hand；　that　there　is　scarcely　one　statute　connected　with　the　administration　of　public　relief　which　has　produced　the　effect　designed　by　the　legislature；　and　that　the　majority　of　them　have　created　new　evils；　and　aggravated　those　which　they　were　intended　to　prevent。〃（21*）　I　refer　rather　to　confessions　made　by　statesmen；　and　by　State…departments。　Here；　for　example；　in　a　memorial　addressed　to　Mr　Gladstone；　and　adopted　by　a　highly　influential　meeting　held　under　the　chairmanship　of　the　late　Lord　Lyttelton；　I　read：　　

〃We；　the　undersigned；　Peers；　Members　of　the　House　of　Commons；　Ratepayers；　and　Inhabitants　of　the　Metropolis；　feeling　strongly　the　truth　and　force　of　your　statement　made　in　the　House　of　Commons；　in　1866；　that；　'there　is　still　a　lamentable　and　deplorable　state　of　our　whole　arrangements；　with　regard　to　public　works　　vacillation；　uncertainty；　costliness；　extravagance；　meanness；　and　all　the　conflicting　vices　that　could　be　enumerated；　are　united　in　our　present　system；'〃　etc。；　etc。（22*）　

Here；　again；　is　an　example　furnished　by　a　recent　minute　of　the　Board　of　Trade　（November；　1883）；　in　which　it　is　said　that　since　〃the　Shipwreck　Committee　of　1836　scarcely　a　session　has　passed　without　some　Act　being　passed　or　some　step　being　taken　by　the　legislature　or　the　Government　with　this　object〃　＇prevention　of　ship…wrecks＇；　and　that　〃the　multiplicity　of　statutes；　which　were　all　consolidated　into　one　Act　in　1854；　has　again　become　a　scandal　and　a　reproach：〃　each　measure　being　passed　because　previous　ones　had　failed。　And　then　comes　presently　the　confession　that　〃the　loss　of　life　and　of　ships　has　been　greater　since　1876　than　it　ever　was　before。〃　Meanwhile；　the　cost　of　administration　has　been　raised　from　*17；000　a　year　to　*73；000　a　year。（23*）　　　　　　It　is　surprising　how；　spite　of　better　knowledge；　the　imagination　is　excited　by　artificial　appliances　used　in　particular　ways。　We　see　it　all　through　human　history；　from　the　war…paint　with　which　the　savage　frightens　his　adversary；　down　through　religious　ceremonies　and　regal　processions；　to　the　robes　of　a　Speaker　and　the　wand　of　an　officially　dressed　usher。　I　remember　a　child　who；　able　to　look　with　tolerable　composure　on　a　horrible　cadaverous　mask　while　it　was　held　in　the　hand；　ran　away　shrieking　when　his　father　put　it　on。　A　kindred　change　of　feeling　comes　over　constituencies　when；　from　boroughs　and　counties；　their　members　pass　to　the　Legislative　Chamber。　While　before　them　as　candidates；　they　are；　by　one　or　other　party；　jeered　at；　lampooned；　〃heckled；〃　and　in　all　ways　treated　with　utter　disrespect。　But　as　soon　as　they　assemble　at　Westminster；　those　against　whom　taunts　and　invectives；　charges　of　incompetence　and　folly；　had　been　showered　from　press　and　platform；　excite　unlimited　faith。　Judging　from　the　prayers　made　to　them；　there　is　nothing　which　their　wisdom　and　their　power　cannot　compass。　

The　repl