The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-08-06
sExAroR 1UrHER,s HIEWs.

WHen F1aVel ,. Luther was drafted
to represent one of the senatorial dis
tricts within the limits of the town of
Hartford there was natural interest
taken In the adaptability Of a college
president and professor to public lie.
There was never any question of his
intellectual ability or of his patriotism.
The question that provoked interest
was, how will be fit into the political
task set him? What will be the effect
of the abandonment of the brown stuly
for the lime Light?
Senator Luther has supplemented his
Springfield statement to tine effect that
he has demonstrated to his own salts
faction his displacement as a political
figure with more comprehensive
statement made to the Hartford Times
through one Of its reporters. He was
pleased with the good fellowship he
found in the State sena:e. Differences
Of opinion among members LOST their
Significance the moment d session iii
which they were brought out was ad-
1orned AS a thoroughly human per-
son this pleased him. We can under
stand that better than we can under
stand his confidence in the commission
scheme of legislating for the interests
of the State. He saws he believes in.
the substitution of that scheme for the
conventional legislative scheme. Dur
ing the past session." he says, much
that received the attention of the SEN
ate right better have peen entrusted to
a commission of experts When ask
ed is he meant to quasu5n the COM
letency of the senate he replied: "
mean that no single question arose but
that men voted upon It who were not
qualified either BY educatiol Or ny tx.
perience to do so. l. myself on more
than one-haif the measures that came
before us, voted on questions IN which
was not competent to render deci-
sion. For a college professor to vote on
measure of judicial practice, or for
lawyer to help decide an educational
measure is apt to be equally incon-
gruous."
This is perhaps the most startling in
terview a public man in the State of
Connecticut has given in many a year,
and It becomes additionally startling
when he adds that his confidence in the
ultimate dawn of government by
commission is increased by what he
knows of the opinion of his former coll
leagues. He looks to see the ma
chimes oppose the change but hopes
that the newspapers will be able to
bring It about. 1t will be seen at a
glance that what Professor Luther as
serts. is the failure of democratic gov
eminent as It has been handed down
to us by the founders. Society has
become so complicated as compared
with the simple organization OF 1t when
the constitution was framed that
the representative unit Is no
longer to be depended upon: that we
must substitute for men who are 9TH
erwlse capable of listening to evidence
and reaching conclusion men who are
y pert In their knowledge of the mat
tiers under consideration. Professor
Luther does not elaborate his idea but
we pre-. ume that the people win CON
time to elect a governor and a Cen
eral Assembly and these two political
forces will relinquish their power as
fast as 1t is established that expert
Investigation is needed
We are frank to confess that we
have seen no such evidence of willing
htsb Oil tHe part VI tine GeHeTdl AS
sembly to accept the counsel of spe-
cial expert commissions as to justify
confidence similar to that felt by
Professor Luther. 1t has created COM
missions by the wholesale, but except
in rare instances it has declined to
accept their advice. This year the Cen
eral Assembly has adopted new poll
cy OF creating commissions but naming
th9 commissioners themselves, which is
ar assumption Of expert knowledge on
it's part which confuses the Luther
policy. But wouldn't 1t be better after
all for Senator Luther to take one
more bite of the political cherry before
losing faith in government as we have
It? A longer experience might open
still more practical solution to him.