Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1910-10-21
REV. DR.. LUTHER ON GOVERNMENT
Addressed Good Sized Gathering Of Members and Friends
at Arcanum Cub-Personal Honesty Brothery Feel
ing and Sense of Honor Essential to Good Citizen
ship.

ment of recent years. the speaker said,
he was inclined to think that the day
of the battleShip and of armed hosts
was past and the time was nearly at
hand when nations would settle their
differences by other methods than 10
inch guns carried in their hip pockets.
A second function Of government was
shown in protecting people from each
other and this is q very large and i'm
portant function to see to it that the
great competitive struggle of life is
carried on fairly. In the complex de-
velopment of the last fifty years this
has become an increasingly difficult
task.
Organization an Advantage.
There is a third function which APP
plies to organizing us so that we can
work together to the best advantage,
so that competition shall not be mere
ly grasping after the other fellows
fortune but an honest effort to do work
better than he does it. To make these
regulations rightly is most impor-
tant and complex duty requiring care
full, skilled, expert thought. But it is
notorious in our government that our
lawmaking is not the result of such
careful, skilled and expert thought.
Experts Should Make Up Legislature.
The time seems at hand when legis-
1at1ve bodies should be composed of eX-
perts and along this line there is much
attention being paid at the present
time to the commission system of gov
eminent President Luther indicated
that he was not an unqualified adVo-
cate of the commission system, for he
said that there were two dangers
about it. The fret was from the per-
sonnet of the commission and the sec
ond from the fact that the commission
to be effective had to have long term
of Office. and it would be found that
the government of the people by the
"a iS n rnelllf in ant
of the people for the few.
The Commission System.
AS the nearest thing to self govern
ment he suggested the commission
system with the check of the referen-
dunn. But neither this system or any
other would work out without the
honor, honesty, loving kindness and
good faith of the individual citizen.
There will be less of courts and laws
when we come to recognize that it is
disreputable thing to get the other
fellows property away from him and
acquire anything that is not earned.
Speaking of taxation. President Lu-
Their said his idea of an ideal tax
method was an absolutely level income
tax with no exemptions. The taxation
dodger is the man who is trying to
shirk his share in the government ex-
pensas and putting it off on someone
else.
The Optinist the Best Patriot.
The best patriot. said President Lu-
Their, is the optimist, seeing US more
brotherly, kindly and with a better
| sense of honor than generations before,
and out OF things like these in the in
| diyidual citizens heart will come the
! government that is ideal. but this
comes not without the patriotic love of
| country, the fundamental thing in our
| hearts.
After the address rising vote of
| thanks was given the speaker, and the
| rest Of the evening was spent in So
| cial way with cigars passed by the
committee