The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-03-25
WHERE APP0|NTVE
POWER IS BEST
Duluth Newspaper Says People
Cannot Choose Experts by
Ballot.
From the Duluth Herald

" FROM lne DulUCN Herald.
While we are demanding more power
for the people in the control of their own
government. let us remember that there is
a point beyond which we cannot go in
this agitation, with profit, To have a
pure democracy Is ideal. but 1t is not
served by government 1t is. in some cases,
absolutely inefficient. This is only saying
again a well-worn truth. Everybody
knows it. But we often forget 1t in actual
practice. We often find that in our zeal
for right for the masses we have passed,
beyond the line where the principle OF
democracy can be effective.
We have done this in Minnesota with:
the result that we have a board OF con-,
troll cppointed by one of the offices OF
government, a state tax commission COM
posed of experts also chosen by appoint-t
ment. but at the same time we rave q.
state railway and warehouse commission
elected by the people and we are now pro-,
posing to have a board OF mines. timber
and lands elected instead of appointed.
The ordinary rules of business tell us In,
what manner a public board should be,
constituted. If 1t deals with subjects.
which call for the knowledge and expert
ence of all expert. the membership of the
board must be filled by some one author-l
1ty delegated by the people to make tho.
selections. The people in the mass are not.
competent to select expert engineers
ray ACCOUNTANTS vi eCOIlOIulSIS.
Without rejecting upon the Intelligence,
or honesty of purpose of any man. every4
body admits, everybody knows. that the,
state tax commission is constituted so as.
to give the state the maximum of public.
efficiency, while the state railway and
warehouse commission is so constituted an,
to give the state the minimum of public,
service. This fact is the simple and direct,
result OF the two different methods by
which the member Of these two boards
are chosen. Both boards call for a mem
bership of experts. We shall never get,
experts on the state railroad and ware
house commission as long as the positions
are elective. So long as the membership
Of this board, or any other board of sim,
liar purposes and powers, is chosen by
political methods. 1t will be made up prin-
cipally of politicians. and not of experts,
NO great business corporation hires its
experts 10y a vote OF the stockholders OF
the corporation. The stockholders en-
trust that duty to certain officers of tho
corporation, realizing that such officers
are far better fitted to choose competent
experts than are the mass of the stock
holders. Thu same principle applies to
u state when 1t undertakes state business
Says I.aFollette's Weekly: mo wonder.
the corporations want the people to hira
their experts by popular vote. They know
that then their experts will be more than
a match for the peoples experts.
How absurd to make the people 70 into
courts against the corporations, when the
corporations are represented by experts
and the peoples case is made up by poll
ticians!"
More power to the people in the choic.
of men who make and enforce the law.
but let us not pursue unbusinesslike
methods In the conduct of the state'a
business.