Excerpt from The American Monthly Review of Reviews, Vol. 35: An International Magazine; January-June, 1907 The A great deal was said last month Centralizing in speeches and also, in newspa pers about the rapid trend to ward centralization and toward the assump tion by the general Government of activities that might better have been left to the States. A considerable part of {his discussion was provoked by a speech made by Secretary Root at a banquet of the Pennsylvania Society in New York. Mr. Root made a brilliant pres entation of the vigorous work of the general Government, and pointed out the tendency of the times is a masterly Way. It did not follow, however, that he was attacking the sovereignty of the States or arguing for a diminution of energy on their part in the treatment of pressing matters of public con cern. Mr. Root would unquestionably like to see the States doing their whole duty, and would prefer that less work should be thrown upon the general Government, even where falling clearly within the reasonable interpretation of the federal Government's constitutional authority. Thus Mr. Root would not hesitate to point out the fact that if the State of Illinois had risen to its full opportunity and duty in the matter of regu lating the stockyards and packing-houses of Chicago, we should not have been confronted with the need of passing the recent. Meat Inspection law, which adds much to the work of the general Government. And Sen ator Beveridge would doubtless be glad to admit that if all the States had been as progressive as a few of them in the matter of regulating child labor, there would be lit tle if any advantage in bringing the subject before the national Congress at the present time. Similar things might be said about the Pure Food bill and various other matters of general public concern with which the Gov ernment at Washington has of late been occupying itself. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.