Lax

of laws to

lax enforcement of the law. Trains rush through cities and across streets at unlawful speed. Street cars and automobiles do the same. Railroads often resist enforcement as long as they can attempts to compel them prevent to elevate their tracks, or to provide safety accident gates. Elevators are run by incompetent persons and without inspection of the machinery. Inspectors do their work in a careless manner. Theaters and school houses are built without due regard to the number and position of exits and to proper ventilation and heating. The individual who disregards the regulations imposed by the community, even in such slight matters as the speed of his bicycle, or the lighting of its lamp on a dark night, is helping to make his community an unsafe and unpleasant place in which to live.

Although the protection of property and life is thus largely in the hands of the local communities, most of the laws that constables, sheriffs, and the police Service of are called on to enforce are made by the state government, and apply alike to all the communities of the state.

the state in protecting life and

property

The state militia corresponds, in a measure, to the police of cities. In theory, the militia consists of all able-bodied men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, The state who could be called out in time of great public militia danger to restore order or to repel invasion. In fact, however, it is composed of a number of regiments of volunteers, organized in companies in various communities of the state. In case of riot or disorder which the local authorities cannot handle, the governor may be called on to send one or more companies to aid in restoring order, as has been done in the case of riots among striking coal miners in Illinois and Pennsylvania. The militia of the several states may be called out by the President of the

United States to suppress insurrection or to repel invasion. It may not, however, be sent by him for duty outside of the United States. As an organized army in time of war the militia has shown some defects. In the Revolution and in the War of 1812 it caused much trouble because of the jealousies of the several states. Governors sometimes refused to allow their militia to go outside of their states. Then, too, as in recent wars, the militia companies have sometimes proved poorly officered, poorly drilled and equipped, and impatient of discipline.

National defense

For the defense of our national possessions and of the liberty of our citizens against enemies from without, we maintain an army and a navy. Our army is very small as compared with the armies of other nations. Our geographical position, separated as we are from other great powers, has made a large standing army unnecessary. The belief of the founders of our nation was that a large standing army was dangerous to the liberties of the people and a burden of expense. Our policy therefore has always been in favor of as small an army as is consistent with our national safety. In time of war our dependence has been chiefly on the militia or army of citizens enlisted for the occasion. At the time of the Civil War an army of more than 2,000,000 men was raised by enlistment in the North, and one of 1,000,000 men in the South. the present time it would be possible to raise a vastly greater army than this, although our standing army of regular soldiers numbers less than 100,000 men.

At

The army not only defends our territory against invasion, but it may also be sent to any part of the world to protect the rights of American citizens. It may be called on to quell local disturbances when the state authorities are unable to do so. In 1894 a great strike

The army

occurred in Chicago, during which much property was destroyed and commerce between the states was interfered with. The local and state authorities failing to quell the disturbance, the President of the United States, who is commander-in-chief of the army, sent troops to restore order. At the time of the earthquake and fire in San Francisco national troops from the fort near by were

Congressman Kahn, Governor Gillett, and staff.

rushed into the city to help in maintaining order and in protecting property and life. They, of course, coöperated with the state militia and the city police. The national troops are usually more effective in restoring order than either the militia or the police.

The navy

The navy is another means of national protection. It has been the policy of the American government to limit our navy to the smallest size consistent with national safety, as in the case of the army. But because of our rapidly growing commerce and the increasing interests of American citizens in foreign lands, together