the man versus the state-第20章

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　　　　The　German　anthropologist　Bastian；　tells　us　that　a　sick　native　of　Guinea　who　causes　the　fetish　to　lie　by　not　recovering；　is　strangled；（11*）　and　we　may　reasonably　suppose　that　among　the　Guinea　people；　any　one　audacious　enough　to　call　in　question　the　power　of　the　fetish　would　be　promptly　sacrificed。　In　days　when　governmental　authority　was　enforced　by　strong　measures；　there　was　a　kindred　danger　in　saying　anything　disrespectful　of　the　political　fetish。　Nowadays；　however；　the　worst　punishment　to　be　looked　for　by　one　who　questions　its　omnipotence；　is　that　he　will　be　reviled　as　a　reactionary　who　talks　laissez…faire。　That　any　facts　he　may　bring　forward　will　appreciably　decrease　the　established　faith　is　not　to　be　expected；　for　we　are　daily　shown　that　this　faith　is　proof　against　all　adverse　evidence。　Let　us　contemplate　a　small　part　of　that　vast　mass　of　it　which　passes　unheeded。　　　　　　〃A　Government…office　is　like　an　inverted　filter：　you　send　in　accounts　clear　and　they　come　out　muddy。〃　Such　was　the　comparison　I　heard　made　many　years　ago　by　the　late　Sir　Charles　Fox；　who；　in　the　conduct　of　his　business；　had　considerable　experience　of　public　departments。　That　his　opinion　was　not　a　singular　one；　though　his　comparison　was；　all　men　know。　Exposures　by　the　press　and　criticisms　in　Parliament；　leave　no　one　in　ignorance　of　the　vices　of　red…tape　routine。　Its　delays；　perpetually　complained　of；　and　which　in　the　time　of　Mr　Fox　Maule　went　to　the　extent　that　〃the　commissions　of　officers　in　the　army〃　were　generally　〃about　two　years　in　arrear；〃　is　afresh　illustrated　by　the　issue　of　the　first　volume　of　the　detailed　census　of　1881；　more　than　two　years　after　the　information　was　collected。　If　we　seek　explanations　of　such　delays；　we　find　one　origin　to　be　a　scarcely　credible　confusion。　In　the　case　of　the　census　returns；　the　Registrar…General　tells　us　that　〃the　difficulty　consists　not　merely　in　the　vast　multitude　of　different　areas　that　have　to　be　taken　into　account；　but　still　more　in　the　bewildering　complexity　of　their　boundaries：〃　there　being　39；000　administrative　areas　of　twenty…two　different　kinds　which　overlap　one　another　　hundreds；　parishes；　boroughs；　wards；　petty　sessional　divisions；　lieutenancy　divisions；　urban　and　rural　sanitary　districts；　dioceses；　registration　districts；　etc。　And　then；　as　Mr　Rathbone；　M。P。；　points　out；（12*）　these　many　superposed　sets　of　areas　with　intersecting　boundaries；　have　their　respective　governing　bodies　with　authorities　running　into　one　another's　districts。　Does　any　one　ask　why　for　each　additional　administration　Parliament　has　established　a　fresh　set　of　divisions？　The　reply　which　suggests　itself　is　　To　preserve　consistency　of　method。　For　this　organized　confusion　corresponds　completely　with　that　organized　confusion　which　Parliament　each　year　increases　by　throwing　on　to　the　heap　of　its　old　Acts　a　hundred　new　Acts；　the　provisions　of　which　traverse　and　qualify　in　all　kinds　of　ways　the　provisions　of　multitudinous　Acts　on　to　which　they　are　thrown：　the　onus　of　settling　what　is　the　law　being　left　to　private　persons；　who　lose　their　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…s