The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-09
DIVORCE STATE FROM NATION.
AL POLITICS.

In a very timely article on the cub
ject of too frequent elections, the Aus
tin Statesman says: Gould not cleo
items be better acranged to keep sepa,
rate National and State afaire2 AS
the schedule is no y arranged in Texas
every two years we must vote for our
Congressman along with our State eff
Gals. And then every four years we
mix in the presidential election along
with congressional and State affairs.
Do we get the best results from such a
plan7 We believe not.
Yet, it could be easily arranged so
that our State elections would be en-
tirely dis associated from our National
elections and it should be done. For
really the questions involved in the two
classes of elections are so entirely dis
similar that the elections should never
occur on the same day. The choice of
Congressman or a President should not
be il f1enced by local State Issues and
certainly the rule would work to best
advantage when reversed. We do not
believe q mans views on National
questions should interfere with his
election for governor Of a State, if il
all way he is peculiarly fitted to con
duct the affairs Of that State better
than his opponent or most any other
man who could be selected for cover
nor. Nor do we think the views of a
governor as to any particular candi-
date for Congress should have a decid
ing effect in the choice Of a congress
man, but that the congressional cRndi
dates standing on National questions
and his peculiar fitness for the Office
should be the dominating test.
BY putting the election of our gov
ernor and other State officials upon
years when they could never conflict
with National elections, State issues
could then be discussed absolutely by
themselves and the State would be
greatly the gamer by the change. Also
as part of a plan to keep a States af
fairs entirely separate from National
questions it would be we'll to arrange
that county elections should also never
fall on National election days. In this
way counties as well as the State at
large would be greatly a~dvantaged.
And both these results could be accom-
plisaed by making the terms of our
State and county officer four instead
of two years, and placing the first cleo
ton under the new plan on an odd
year in the next century. Presidential
and congressional elections will alway 8
in the next century fall on even years,
and thus we can keep State and Fed
eral questions entirely apart.
And this Ieugthening of the terms
of our State and county officials from
two to four years has more advantages
than possible disadvantages. Possibly
then we would be far more careful in
the election Of all such officers and a
plan could be devised to keep them
strictly to their duty, or removal would
quickly follow. AS to State affairs we
see at least one specially potent reason
why four years would be a better
length of term. For this would tend
to further take the management of all
our eleemosynary instiEu lions III of
politics. 1t is a shame that civil ser.
vice rules do not absolutely apply to
them, but as long as they do not, then
30 much more the necessity that the
greatest care should be taken in the
selection of those in control of them
and that their term Of Office should be
as long as possible. B15 outside OF a
question Of all detail in working out
the plan it certainly must be evident
it would be far better to 80 arrange our
elections as that State elections would
be entirely separate from the National
events. We cannot better inaugurate
the new century than by making the
change proposed"