The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1908-01-21

powering the Governor Of the State, or
anyone else, to remove from any Office any
State official, appointed under a statute,
even for cause.
The Chief Executive should be
armed with some power, both for The
enforcement of the law, and for the
of those In public Office, who
refuse or neglect to perform their
duty.
TT may be easily imagined that cases
may arise where public officials are shown
to have been guilty of either misfeasance
or malfeaSance in office. and who refuse to
resign, and It might be that cases would
arise where a public official should not be
permitted to resign. In either event there
should be some power In the Governor,
upon formal charges In writing. to cite any
statutory State officer, to show cause why
he should not be removed, and II, after
hearing and full opportunity to make de
Tense, the Governor should be satisfied
that the official has been derelict Ia the
performance Of his duty, or guilty OF a
more serious offense, he should then have
the power to remove him.
THE Governor should be held respon-
sible for the administration of all pub
lie affairs in the State; he should recog-
ni3e that 1t Is his duty to see that the In
oNttoAhphIf PNhaA af0 NHt
the departments Of the State government,
are conducted within the lines required
by the law and the Constitution, and that
the officials In connection with these IN
5tftutions inc departments are In at
tendance Upon and in the performance OF
their duties; that they are not negleetlng
the service which they owe to the State,
and that they are not guilty OF misfeas-
ance or malfeasance In Office. OF course,
the Governor caunot do this alone n
unaided, but he may do II through proper
assistants Of the kind and character which
l have recommended in this message,
through q department of accounts.
"Of necessity, this will entail labor upon
the Governor, but the people of the State
elect their Governor for that purpose, and
he should either perform his duties and
see that others perform theirs. or he
should not assume the office.
When instances of dereliction IN the
performance of duty by public officials
have o right to hold some one responsible
for the neglect, which has occurred.
Wrongful conduct In office, no matter
punished, and a strict observance OF the
statutes governing the institutions and
departments Of the State, must be re-
quired. The State institutions, and some
of the State departments, expend large
sums of money annually. Two of them
alone expend over a half a million of dol
lars. The constant supervision OF this eY-
~penditure should be the atm of all State
officials. and 1t should be the duty. OF the
Governor to keep in touch with the way
these funds are being expended.
'If be shall do this, and the statutes
shall confer upon him the power to re-
move any official. appointed by statutory
authority. whom his examination may dis
cover to be derelict In the performance o.
his duties. or guilty OF ~wrongdoing II
Office In any respect, the result will b'
wholesome az TO all departments and in
situations Of the state.
II. therefore, recommend the enactment
Of q law looking to this end.