New Britain herald., 1925-01-07

e order Society rests on law, Orderly government cannot exist without " obedience to law, It is our duty to . do all in our power to see that the a constitution of the United States, F and that of our state, and all the |. laws regulating our republic be re-
 spected and enforced, Anything which leads 10 dsrespect for law
 and disregard for its enforcement strikes at the roots Of our institu-
 tions.
 New Laws
 IL is frequently said that the states of the American Union make , prodigious number of laws in every biennial period. There Is d
 tendency more and more 10 take
 over into the field of positive law
 spheres of human action which
 were formerly unhampered by legal
 restrictions. Jealous reformers,
 without giving much thought to
 the extent to which wise public pol
 icy may properly permit some
 phases of human activity to be left
 to self-contro or community re-
 straint. are anxious for the passage
 of new legislation. Let us remcm-
 Der there is point beyond which
 legal restraint cannot be carried
 without placing too great a strain
 on the machinery and agencies of government. In our zeal for right
 eousness and justice we must not
 build up administrative and bur
 eaucratic power ut the expense of
 individual liberty and the proper,
 wholesome freedom of the citizen
 The greatest force behind any truly creative and happy society is free individualism.
 When new law is proposed let us ask; Does it further curtail in-
 dividual liberty? Is 1t required for the maintenance of public safety and order? Will it encourage self reliance in the individual citizen or will it lead him 10 become more de- pendent on the government? Will it build up his respect for law and lead him to practice obedience 10 law or will it tend to make him de- spise the law and seek means for evading it? Will it tend to foster his loyalty to the principles of rep resentative government. for which Connecticut has stood for so many years? The answers to these ques- tions should enable you to deter | mine the wisdom of proposed new legislation. President Coolidge was right when he said, We do not need more laws" This is not to say that our laws are perfect or that they do not need to be improved, but it does point to the unwisdom of that indiscriminate recourse to legislation which needs to be checked. Let me urge upon you the desirability of having our General Assembly marked by an absence of ] the introduction of measures which t are not demanded by public opinion or at least by the wishes of a con- siderable part of our electorate. Let us stand firmly against the domina- tion of our government by organized minorities, no matter how ably they . conduct their propaganda. Remem- Der the injunction to prove all things; and hold fast that which is good.
 The Treasurer
 The very great misfortune which befell the state through the aston ishing activities of a former state treasurer, led us to fear that the $ state might be among the many , who were relatively heavy losers. , Fortunately our bipartisan audit ( system proved itself to be a splen- l did safeguard and our auditors of 1 public accounts deserve praise for f their success in protecting the ( state. Ii appears that the books of 7 accounts of the state are well kept and the methods used to check up I the different departments and in- I stitutions are such as to guard the I state against loss. One loop-holc. i however, has been discovered. It I is recommended that this be closed f by the passage of a law which Y would relieve the state treasurer of f being solely responsible for the se- i lection of state depositaries and I which would also make it improper C for him 10 deposit state moneys in S a bank with which he or any mem r Der of his department is actively S connected. It is also recommended f that, an investment board be created, [ whose duties would be to have f charge of the investment of state 0 trust funds. r;
 Commission of Sculpture |
 The commission of sculpture has { during the past two years secured r and placed upon the west front of il the state capitol figures of Colonel f Humphreys and General Wooster. f These figures complete the decora- n tion of that side of the capitol and f. satisfactorily aid in presenting the r Revolutionary history of the state. Il It is the plan of the commission to Y proceed with the work on the south q front by placing there statues of tc citizens who were distinguished in tr the history of the state during the fl nineteenth century. It is evident il that the bronze statues of Nathan Hale and Governor Buckingham [, should be removed from the capi- Il tol and placed in proper locations O on the state grounds. It is under il stood that the commission is work if ing on comprehensive plan for tr the coordination of state and city n action so as to continue the highly r, desirable program of beautifying fl tn, capitol grounds and promoting all enlightened devotion to the his n tory of our state. 2
 State Library W
 Connecticut was most fortunate N in the planning and erecting of the S, for the state library and Q, court. Not only have these al institutions been adequately pro- W vided for, but state and local pub Il,