New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-09-19
CONVENIENT BY CoMHIssIoN."

The state Democratic platform says that tue
system of governing the state by commissions
was never contemplated by the constitution
and that If has taken from the constitutional
officials Of the state the power which should De
directly welded by them. But the system was
in existence long before the constitution OF 1870
was adopted. and that document has not word
to saw against it-indeed definitely recognizes
il by making certain of the commissions consti-
t7,tionaI bodies The constitution does nothing
To take away power from the commissions and
restore IT 10 the constitutional officials whose
prerogatives the Democratic platform so Jeal-
ouslv regards New commissions had been Gre
ated and the functions of those existing mad
been Increased in the years just preceding the
constitutional convention. If the constitution
did not contemplate government by commission,
why did it not check departure from "const-
tutional lines" which could hardly have escaped
the attention of its trainers?
Here are few of the more important commits
sions which were in existence at the time the con-
stitution of 1895 was adopted: The State Railroad
Commission. whose successors are the Public Ser
vice Commissions the Commissioner of Agricult-
ure the State Civil Service Commission, the
State Tax Commission, the State Lunacy Com
mission and the State Board of Charities.
These last two commissions were made constl-
tutional bodies by the constitution OF 1890 Be
sides these there were certain other commits
sions having charge Of parks, reservations and
other interests, whose functions are not so I'M
portant or so general as to deserve attention
here. The only important commissions existing
today which the trainers Of the constitution
could not have contemplated are the Public Ser
vice Commissions. which succeeded the Railroad
Commission and the Rapid Transit Commits
sion. the State Excise Commission, the Forest,
Fish and Game Commission and the Commission
on Prisons. Thus it will be seen that the system
was already we'll developed when the constitu-
ton was adopted.
Nor is 1t a Republican creation. as the Demo
cratic platform implies. Several of the commits
sions originated in Democratic administrations,
and many OF them had their powers widely ex-
tended by Democratic legislatures and Demo-
cratic governors. Nor can distinction be
drawn between the Lunacy Commission and the
Board of Charities, whose existence the consti-
tuition recognizes and such regulative commits
sious as have been created under Governor
IIughes's administration, SO that it may be said
these latter were not contemplated by the con-
stitution The State Railroad Commission, the
prototype Of the Public Service Commissions, was
created in 1892 its first members being appointed
by Governor Cleveland 1t sought to regulate
the railroads of the state, but it had not suff1'
Gent power TO enforce its own rulings. 1t was
created uGucr lue lLpItSSlOA Iudt NiC4 IL AieNa
made an investigation and reported decision
public opinion would be adequate to give it
force It failed but nevertheless it was intended
to do in slightly narrower field just what the
Public Service Commissions are doing 1t was
government by commission in the same sense
precisely as they are government by commission
Its operations were perfectly familiar to the
constitutional convention of 1894, and the sys-
TEN so generally in at that time was dis
tinctly contemplated by the constitution.
AS the business of the state becomes more vast
and complicated commissions are the only prac-
ticable method of dealing with some parts of it,
as a mere glance at the list Of such bodies men
toned earlier in this article will show Their
careless and excessive multiplication ought TO
be prevented but in what state Of chaos would
the affairs Of New York be if they We're all legis-
lated out of existence and their powers restored
to the constitutional officials!