Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1912-01-12
CONNECTICUT
LEADS WORLD


tSpUbHnNc0 ITOF1 age ON9sJ
who extended a greeting to the Con-
necticut club; Henry A. Wise Wood,
whose subject was water Flying"
Hiram Percy Maxim spoke on Power
of the Future" W.. Irving Twombley
told of the "Aeroplane Moter," while
AL. WEIGH talked on Practical Avia-
tom
Governor Baldwin in his speech
said:
Governor 5aldwir's Speech.
They sometimes talk Of Connecticut
as an old fashioned state. Old she is,
proud Of long and noble history. But
Its great quality is that she has been
always a pioneer; and pioneer on
roads where other states have later
followed in her steps.
She invented the written constitution
as an instrument of government, in
1888, and the world has followed her.
And now, in 1911, she has invented the
Law of the airship, and the world is
following her again.
Connecticut Leads the World.
As she was the first country on earth
to frame detailed written constitu-
ton, so she was the first sovereign
power on earth to frame a detailed
see that the next power in the world
to frame another had adopted the basic
principles of ours. 1 refer to France.
Europeans opinion has been divided az
to whether, where injury to person or
property is accidenta"-- done by an
airship, the owner or navigator, Of the
ship ought to pay the damage.
To Protect Man on the Earth.
On the one side it has been argued
that IL there were no negligence on the
part Of the navigator he ought not to
be held responsible where he was not
in fault. On the other side, the con-
tention was that II a man undertook TO
launch out into the air and resist the
force OF gravity-that force so all per-
yading and inevitable-he ought to
take the risk Of failure to resist It, and
not the man below him, on whose head
or on whose roof tree he might be
dashed.
Attracted Attention in Europe.
Connecticut took this latter view and
made the aeronaut' liable for any
dan1aT0 done, negligence or no negli-
gence. He was to take the risk Of his
business. This law Of ours has been
widely noticed in Europe. 1t was the
subject of special article in the Sep
TENDER number Of the Zeitschrtft Fur
Folkerrecht Und Bundesstaatsrecht,
and in the November part OF the fourth
volume Of the Brussels Revue de
Llnstitut de DToit Comnare.
France Follows Connecticut,
And now, within six ~-onths, France
has followed the lead Of Connecticut.
BY decree of the French ministry, is
sued in November last, the Connecti-
cut rule, l understand, has been fully
adopted. So then as Connecticut in
the days Of our forefathers led the
world In the realm of constitutional
government, So Connecticut in our day,
with the collabors ton of this club, has
led the world in legislating for the
realm OF the air.
We Look Ahead in Connecticut.
We look ahead in Connecticut. VT
take the far view. We have faith to
believe that the NAVIGATION of the air
is to become a great factor in modern
life. The birds have monopolized rapi6
transit too long. We have been slow
to learn the lessons-the object lessons
that they were giving us. The twer
tieth century is a rood centurv-tAe
eest vet: and one OF its greatest dis
tIrcticns. believe. is to be its progress
towards the ccn"pest Of the air.