THE PROBLEM OF POVERTY 843 



of the law. The most stringent form of supervision is exercised by 

 the Local Government Board in England, with the assistance of 

 general inspectors, local inspectors, and auditors. All boards of 

 poor-relief are required to furnish regular returns, which render 

 possible general poverty statistics at once of scientific and practical 

 utility. In France, so far as one can speak of a public system of 

 poor-relief that is, as far as care for children, aliens, and the 

 diseased is concerned - - the supervision lies with a special depart- 

 ment of the minister of the interior - - the directeur de V assistance 

 publique. He has, as an advisory board, the conseil superieur de 

 I'assistance publique, which undertakes an exhaustive examination of 

 all questions relating to poverty and charity, and expresses its judg- 

 ment upon them. In Belgium a proposed law provides for a similar 

 institution. In Italy, in accordance with a law which went into 

 force a few weeks ago, a central government board, the consiglio 

 superiore di assistcnza e beneficenza pubblica, and besides for each 

 separate province a provincial board of commissioners, com- 

 missione di assistenza e di beneficenza pubblica, are created. The 

 latter is authorized to exercise direct supervision over the local 

 boards of management, and to interfere in their action; while the 

 intention is that the functions of the central board should be more 

 of an advisory nature. In the new laws of certain Swiss cantons 

 and of the Austrian crown lands the institution of inspectors of 

 poverty has been recently introduced. In Germany there is no 

 such central authority in charge of poverty. The supervision of 

 poverty here forms a part of the general government supervision 

 whose duty it is to guard against all pernicious measures, whatsoever 

 they may be. 



In the United States, of late years, public opinion has taken a 

 very lively interest in this question, from the point of view as to 

 whether such supervision is desirable and permissible. One must 

 place over against this the institutions of the Old World, where 

 the old absolutism exercised a strong influence on self-government, 

 from which in modern times it seeks to free itself. The exact oppo- 

 site is the case in the United States, where from first to last constitu- 

 tion and government are based on democratic principles. The 

 result is that an encroachment here on the part of central government 

 authorities would be viewed beforehand, from the standpoint of 

 political freedom, with much greater distrust. At the same time, it 

 is universally agreed that the government authorities have the right 

 to remedy public evils and abuses from the standpoint of state 

 protection, and to exercise supervision over state institutions proper. 

 The problem becomes more difficult when the question is raised con- 

 cerning the supervision of the remaining public institutions, and 

 those which receive aid from public funds; and still more difficult 



