The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-01-06
KANSAS cOMMENT
ELECTIVE OR APPoINTIvEq

ELECTIVE OR APPOINTIvE?
AT the coming session Of the Kansas
legislature. an effort may be made to
amend the assessment and taxation
law by making the state tax commits
sioners elective, instead of appointive,
Offices.
If such an amendment is made to the
law, it Will be mistake, and one which
the state will sooner or later have to
rectify.
In the case of the state board of rail-
road commissioners the state has tried
the elective plan. The result has not
been satisfactory. The fact of the mat
ter is that the average voter pays very
little attention to the job of railroad
commissioner, and when he is called
upon at primary or election to ex-
press his choice between men for that
office, he is entirely at sea. His vote is
governed largely by accident. The
same would be true regarding tax COM
missioners. It is now highly probable
that at the coming session. the legis-
lature will provide for the appointing of
the commission which has supervision
Of the railroads, at least it should do
so.
The character of work to be done by
the tax commission and the railroad
commission is not dissimilar. Both are
dealing with the most vital interests o.
the state. Both require, for effective
work. a membership especially trained
in the problems which are likely to be
presented. When a man is selected py
the politicians to run for a certain Of
fee. he is usually selected with his
qualifications to do the work as sec
ondary consideration. When man Is
appointed by governor to an oince'
and the governor knows that he is 10
be held directly responsible by the peo-
pie in the next primary election for the
work of that appointee his first thought
will be els this man one that VIII ndhe
my administration respected?
I1o
state tax commission, appointed by
Governor Hoch, is evidence enough ol
the superiority of the appointiVe metn-
cd of securing a commission to DO q
sneciaJ work where special talents are
required. 1t would be a mistake 70
elect the state tax commission. Inc
election of county assessors is an en-
.tirely different matter. and the propd-1
hi1ity is that more satisfaction will be
given by a county tax assessor electSu
by a direct vote of the people OF ing
county than by appointment py tnT
county commissioners journal.
HERE IS THE POINT.
The value of the Kansas products
the past year amounted to more tnan
275 million dollars. Just imagine the
Increased value of these products II
the Kansas farmers had good, modern
roads for their transportation to the
hest markets or to the advantageous
Shining points? The spectacle of
state of such wonderful resources be
ing at the mercy of the railroad rate
combine, or forced to allow the mer-
chants at the nearest trading point 10
fix the prices upon the farmers pro-
dnce because the public highways Will
not allow them to transport it to any
other market is the fly in the ointment
so far as the prosperity OF Kansas is
The people Of Kansas are prosper
ous of course. But why should they
not make their public roads an asset
rather than liability? AS it is now
the country roads prove the drain up |
-, nrosneritv instead of aiding the |
farmers to get better prices for their |
PRODUCTS and better accomm odatlohs |
ana lower rates for their Shipment
Newton Kansan-Republican