Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-02-17
ROTARY HEARS
OF CITIZENSHIP
President Sends Messages to
Club Members in 18th
Anniversary Celebration

CHICAGO, Feb. 17-With pres
dents, prime ministers, chief iustt-
ces and heads of national legislative
bodies throughout the worI d contrib
uting brief statements of their ideas
of the responsibilities of the ind
vidual citizen for the kind of gov
ernment he gets, ninety thousand
members of Rotary International
begin a world wide campaign fol
thorough understanding of these re-
sponstbilities as part of the cels-
bration of the eighteenth anniver-
sary Of the founding of the first
Rotary Club.
President Harding, Speaker F. H.
Gillett of the House of Representa-
tives and Attorney General Daugn-
erty are the authors of the texts of
The citizenship messages Rotaria Is
IN the United States are carrying
20 the people of their communities.
President Harding tells in his state
ment OF the responsibilities Of the
Individual citizen for the execution
OF the laws and declares no citizen
can consider himself a good citizen
Who does not do all in his power to
make careful selection from among
The candidates for Office and then
Fote for the person he has delibec-
steIy selected which, the President
remarks parenthetically, several mil
lions of the citizens of the United
States regularly fail to do by calling
to vote at all.
Speaker Gillett also pleads for
careful selection Of the candidates
for legislative Office and states that
the Quack and the demagogue be-
long In the am category, in that
they arouse sympathy by telling the
victim OF his real trouble and then
oner their w remedy as the only
D&nacea for the trouble.
Attorney General Daugherty de-
clares that Constitutional govern
ment is not possible unless the in
diyidual citizen first ecquoints him
self with and obeys the law him |
self.
The three basic statements of tie
principles of citizenship being used
in the United States are duplicated |
in similar messages from the heads |
OF The main branches of govern
ment in most of the twenty-odd
countries in which Rotary Cluos
have been established. The educG- /
tlcnal work the Rotarians are doing
has nothing to do with partisan poll
lCcS nor are the statements from
Ehe three distinguished government
officials partisan. They are devoted
entirely to the broad principle of
the responsibilities of citizenship.
The first Rotary Club was organ
ICED in Chicago February 20, 1905.
There are now 1895 Rotary Clubs
with a membership of approxi-
rnatety 10000 in twenty-seven
countries. The clubs are organized
Tor h purpose of practicing and
HnFGaHfnc Fha 6rJ - 1fnJa1 20 <o~,ioa
through the adoption OF codes OF
ethical practices in all lines of bust
nasS and professions, through work
smonk D0ys to prepare them for CT
izenshIp and through utilizing the
idea In aiding and abetting
all worthy causes for the general
good OF the communities in which
the clubs are established. The man
idea of Rotary is to train the ind
member In the service idea
and through him reach his business
Of professional associates. Prest-
lent Harding's letter is as follows:
To the members, Rotary I~nterna-
tional:
The Individual citizens response
oility for executive government be-
gins with the selection of the ex-
eeuttve. This implies the duty Of
every voter to vote; a duty that
many millions OF them regularly fail
10 perform. Before that, it implies
the duty TO vote in~telligently, to
make the vote represent a deliberate
decision based on the claims of the
opposing parties and candidates.
Finally, the executive being duty
selected, 1t implies the obligation
to give him the support Of all good
citizens in every effort of admins
tration Of the law. That citizen
who regards himself as a model of
the civic prophecies, because his
conduct is impeccable; but
who does not cooperate vita the
civil authorities or exert his inf1u-
in behalf OF the best possible
administration OF the laws, greatly
overrates his own usefulness as a
citizen. The responsible officers of
government, whether It be munich
PAL. state or national, need and are
entitled to the full and effective
import Of all citizens in the en-
forceFnent of laws.
II the effort Of Rotary should he
effective in impressing this coucep-
ton OF the citizens duty 1t will
have performed a most useful ser
WARREN q. HARDING.