The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-01-27

Iconditions of abnormality or subnor- mality the mind of man is more prolific of radical suggestion, so 1t IS that any new proposition of wide import involving departure in prac- tice from established principles and standards should be studied not only carefully and thoroughly. but pray erfully by those who seek to do the will of God. Such a proposition Is that of public unemployment insur- ance.
 Obviously, this proposition did | not originate in America, nor was 1t conceived in an American. That does not, however. stamp it conclu- sively as an undesirable thing. But l in the minds of those who believe in the peculiar virtue of American institutions. 1t should excite the en- ergy of doubt as to it's compatibil- ity The very first conclusion which 1 myself reached from an inquiry into it's nature was that it1s wholly incom patIble with the American theory of government, and manifest l ly antagonistic to the American con- ception of democracy. It is plain | attempt to give a political answer to distinctly economic question. and to endow government with functions which the architects and | IOuHueTS or our SCHtIHe ol BoNcI IT. ment never intended that it should have. If there is anything which the wise framers of our government sought above all other things to do. | 1t was to vouchsafe to the individual the largest possible measure of free dom and the maximum of oppor- tunity for the working out of his own economic and moral destiny. Proceeding upon the declared prin- ciple that all men are born free and equal, and are endowed by their Creator with the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, these matchless makers I of our Constitution undertook to de- J stroy forever the imaginary lines between classes and groups of cit iZens, and to not only guarantee to every individual the free opportun- ity. but to impress upon him the sacred obligation to earn both his spiritual and economic salvation. The government was set up to be primarily a rulc-maker and an um- pre. It was conceived and intend- ed to be a service of the people, and not their master.
 l When, therefore. government Tn America, in any instance, goes into business in competition with private enterprise, or by any act curtails the free opportunity for individual ini- tiative, or in any other way tries to do for the people what they can best do for themselves, 1t does serious violence to the spirit, if not the let ter, of our incomparable instrument of political control. Public unem- ployment insurance would be not only in conflict with, but subversive of these tested theories of govern ment. With one hand the govern ment would be wringing money from one class of citizens, and pass ing it on in doles with the other hand to other groups of citizens. New and unparalleled opportunities for graft and political self-perpetua- tion would thus be created for poli- ticians already too fat upon misap- propriated power. Whatever the 1 amount of the dole to start with, it would undoubtedly increase as can didates for public office would con- test for the franchises of the people by promising larger slices of cake from the public pantry. We have witnessed just this unsatisfactory working of the proposition in Great Britain
 The economic system to which our Constitution commits us, and which the American people for the most part believe in, is the capital istic system as opposed to the social istic and others. This system recog- niZes the institution of private prop erty and is thoroughly opposed to the principle of public ownership. ,
 | Another extremely serious objec- ton to public unemployment insur- | ance is that it is immoral in it's na- ture. however beautiful in it's motive. It's natural effect would be to sub sidiZe idleness and encourage thrift lessness by removing those necessi- ties which stimulate effort. I can not conceive of anything that would more quickly sap the virility of the nation and be a more serious blow to the vital sense of individual responsibility than for the govern ment to set up a protectOrship over lany particular class and make pub lie wards of any except those re- Iduced to helplessness by physica l misfortune By this. nor by any other means, can government abol- ish occasions for charity and relieve society of it's obligation and oppor- Itunity to express sacrificially its con- cern for. and interest in. the un- fortunate. The spirit of the church