New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1923-02-23

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LIEUT.. GOV. HIRAM BINGHAM
civic responsibility. and the more
surely you reduce him TO position
OF a dependent subject.
undergraduates and Self-Goycrnment
I'VE are celebrating today the birth
OF the lrst President OF the United
states. His experience In the Revolu-
tionary war led Washington to be-
Iieye that a strong union OF states
was necessary. II In extremely dini-
cult for us at the present time to rca-
| lize how tenaciously the founders oil
the republic held on to the rights OF
the sovereign states and how 10th they
were TO give up even such rights as
we're absolutely necessary for the
successful functioning OF the federal
government. To them independence
meant local self-government. They
finally were willing, however. to sur
render such privileges of sovereignty
as would enable the United States gov
eminent to wage war successfully and
efficiently, to make treaties with for
eign countries, and to function prop
erly as a member of the family Of ma
lions. Anyone who will read and study
the so-called critical period Of Amer
lean history knows how very difficult
1t was for Washington and Hamilton
to secure the essential powers for the
federal government. In view of that
difficulty it is all the more remarkable
that now one should see the people
of the United States asking the federal
government to assume the functions of
state and local governments. Today
there are q great many worthy citi-
zens who desire to have the federal
government cure all social ills. They
also would Hike to have the state gov
ernments take away from the towns
the privilege of making any mistakes
in running their schools. For the
sake Of securing efficiency and ma
terial prosperity they are willing to
take away from the individual prac-
tically all of his responsibilities as
citizen, leaving to him very little ex-
cept the privilege of choosing his rep
resentatives, and leaving to his repre-
sentatives very little opportunity for
independent action and initiative when
these representatives are of the grade
of town officials.
I'VE have come long way from the
position of the founders of this re-
public who objected to giving up any
more of their independence than was
absolutely necessary in order to enable
the central government to function.
We now find people saying openly that
If town officials are unwilling to do
things that are for their own best
good they must be made to do so.
1T seems to me that the history
of Connecticut points to the conclusion
that it is better in the long run for
people to make progress slowly, pro-
vided they do 1t by their own initia-
tive and are influenced to do 1t by
the force of public opinion. rather
than to make progress rapidly at the
and orders of central bu-
reau, which by rules and regulations
aims to force progress faster than
public opinion demands it.
Modern little Red SchoOlhouscs."
There are people who are anxious
to make it appear that I want the
old things because they are old, and
that I am unwilling to recognize that
the conditions under which the one
room schoolhouse was a success have
passed. To them ! should like to re-
ply that / know of one-room school
houses In Connecticut. which are OF
recent and modern construction, be-
cause the public opinion Of the COM
nunity has demanded it, and which
ire taught by daughters of members
Of the community who understand the
and homes from which they
,ome and are able to give and do give
he children better guidance and in
,truction than many a teacher whose
life is devoted to teaching only one
grade in the city school and rarely
has the opportunity to know the FAM
lies from which the children come,
Or to get acquainted with the children
or more than the period of one school
,ear. In other words. the conditions
which made the one-room schoolhouse
| success one hundred years ago have
lot entirely left the state and l hope
hey never will leave the state. Per-
onally hope to see the country
owns increase in population and pros
,erity. / believe that with the build
ng of good roads throughout the state