Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-10
INTERES,
When America Is Grown-Politics
BY FREDERIC J. HAskIN

has been heard frequently in the past
few years. That idea Is born OF parti-
san politics, but 1t is an idea which VIII
grow and which eventually may Do
acted upon.
Chicago and Philadelphia may also
succeed in divorcing themselves from
their rural fellow citizens of Illinois
and Pennsylvania. Kansas City, u
metropolis in two states, may be the
center of new state carved from
Missouri and Kansas territory. These
changes, or others of similar nature
are almost sure to follow the doubling
of the present population and the IN
creased inconvenience of local admin
istration in states of the present boun-
daries. Even now New YORK state
makes separate laws and organizes
separate administrative bodies for
Manhattan and "up state"
Long before the end of the century
r.any of the details federal legis-
lation now In the hands of congress
will be delegated to commissions. The
work of congress is now so great tnaJ
1t overwhelms that body and makes
true deliberation impossible. The ac-
tual power of legislation will always
rest with congress as long as the re-
public endures, but there will be much
of the detail work that will be dele
gated to other bodies. Tendencies in
this direction are already being
viewed with ALARM" but the move
fnent viii not cease because OF the
fears of the conservatives.
The reserved powers of the states,
such as are left, will be guarded with
as great jealousy and with more In
telligence than they are now. the
annual meeting of the house of gov
ernors in some city other than wash
ington will faeilitate uniform legisla-
ton by the states upon important mat
ters of general interest and this will
have the effect of stopping a general
outcry for increased federal powers.
The recent meeting of the governors at
the White House was the first step in
this direction-it Is easy and natural
for the movement there begun to as
sumo the predicted Importance.
The municipal government problem
will be solved and the ruin of boss rule
avoided by the general adoption of the
commission system. 1t is entirely pos
sible that the idea of corporation may
be so extended that the commissioners
who administer local municipal affairs
may be united in an organization
which will provide a system of checks
and balances which will guarantee
honest government. The commission
ers of New York. for instance, Will hail
from five other cities. One commits
sioner is removed to some other city
each year and inspecting supervisors
from other cities may come in at any
moment. This would be a combina-
ton and adaptation of the German mu-
niciral system and the old-fashioned
Methodist itinerary.
Absolute and complete publicity of
campaign contributions and expendi-
lures is sure to come within the next
decade or two. The federal govern
ment and all the states will recognize
the fundamental importance of party
government so that all primaries and
conventions will be held under the laws
of the land, The congress will unseat
man whose nomination was obtained
by fraud as quickly as II he were elect
ed by fraud. The corrupt practices Of
present-day elections will disappear.
This is as certain as the life of the
nation, for IL corruption is not stopped
II will increase: II Ii increases the ma
ton cannot hope to live.
What was looked upon fifty years
ago as "smart politics" and was ad-
mired, twenty years ago became sharp
practice" and was frowned at. The
same thing today is corruption" and
is roundly denounced. Not long hence
It will be Crime and will be punished
with severity. A more acutely sensi-
tive civic conscience Is making the old
fashioned methods of politics decidedly
unpopular
The political machine boss will be a
thing of the past. There will be great
political leaders and sharp division of
opinion. But these leaders will attract
their following because of their es-
pousal and advocacy of some princf-
ple-not because of their power to dis
pense pie or shake the plum tree. Ed
ucation of the masses is already break
ing the power of the boss. A new
boss who comes up nowadays must
come as q wolf in Sleeps clothing.
He must denounce his trade to obtain
a foothold to practice it. Such hypo-
critics will fail and the American of the
future will read the tales Of the boss
ridden cities and states of today with
the same curious sensations we ex-
perience now in reading of Salem
witchcraft.
The surest sign that true reform will
come in the future is that 1t is already
coming. Twenty years ago men were
prominent in public life who openly
did things that would absolutely damn
public man Of today. There is no
doubt that there are honored public
men today who resort to political sub
terfuges that their successors of
twenty years hence will not dare to
consider. The world grows and 1t gets
better every day. The good old days"
States comes to it's full estate, when
there are 3S5,00O0O0 Americans in the
wear 5000, II will be the greatest ma
ton under the sun. But more than
great in wealth and power 1t will be
great in the honesty of its government
and the purity of its people.
Copyright. 1908 by Frederic ]. Haskin.)
Tomorrow-The Pap-Anslican Conference.