The Washington times., 1905-12-28
Economists and Reform.

The best hope for improving the ma
chinery OF Government lies in iengthen-
ing the terms of service for the ad-
mirnstratiye officers; I'm reducing the
number OF elected officials, and enlarg-
Ing the appointing power; in simplifying
the, machinery Of municipal and State
government, perhaps OF the National
Government as well. All this involves
an abrogation Of power by the voter.
He must consent to keep hands off
II not forever. at least for long periods
at q time. Only by some such change
Wilt be possible to enlist and hold in
public service men OF the needed capac-
tty.
These are some of the conclusions
to the rather remarkable address de-
1ivered In Baltimore last night at
the annual meeting of the American
Economic Association by Prof f. w.
Taussig. Of Harvard. AS nearly as
cam be learned from patching to-
gether accounts of this meeting pub
lished in various morning papers,
the speaker hung his inferences
upon a long discussion of the Ameri-
can citizen as a unit and the need
5orgsrch development of American
citizenship as will move the strong
estTminds to seek office
When that time comes most of the
Ills. of our Government will have
been cured. The same force which
would change the public attitude to-
ward the holding of minor Offices
wouids lift the public conscience be-
yond the reach of corruption. This
advance of the public mind is, indeed
the whole issue.
Today, with Philadelphia, New
York, Louisville, Baltimore, Cincin-
natl, ST. Louis, Minneapolis, Chicago
Salt Lake. and San Francisco as
. shining examples of the blank list
lessness with which we have chosen
TO govern our cities, the doctrine OF
longer terms for our Durhams
Crckers, Rasins, Buffers, and Ameses
is likely neither to help the cause OF
good government nor to find patient
hearing. Our problem is not SO
muohrhow TO keep good men in of
fee as it is how to get bad ones
OUT
This, latter result can be accom-.
plisbed by a spasm of indignation
But 1T, cannot be made lasting by
anysosuch means. The only way 10
get the grafters out and keep them
out is 10 raise the average voter
above the appeal made by the graft
er to the voters cupidity. The two
chief elements of that appeal are the
bread and butter" plea and the plea
for party loyalty.
In Philadelphia and New York
each, the army of laborers employed
on municipal works approaches 1OO.-
600 men. For all the purposes OF
practical politics the votes of tilose
men are bought with jobs The mo-
ment they are invited to assert them
selves and vote independently they
are confronted with the loss of their
bread and butter. That has been
and always will be a powerful argu-
ment.-
Hardly less impressive, apparently
though not nearly so well grounded
is the plea for party loyalty. Men
canssteal, perjure themselves, suborn
Other men more honest. defeat the
very purposes of the ballot, and be-
tray, not once but a thousand times
a year, the very party they profess
to lead. and yet find sober, earnest
men willing to hear their petition
for support on the ground of party
loyalty" II seems beyond compre-
hensIon- But it is true.
Answering these two arguments IL
the first practical step toward better
goyeEnment. Other men are better
able to answer them for the aver.
age voter than pedagogues like Prof
Taussig. But that distinguished
scholar and his associates of the
American Economic Association car
lead-the way for those other men
and they ought TO do It.