Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-05-08

Judgment OF the people tust as surely
as II the county clerk were lost In q
crowd OF other minor officials at the
bottom of "a long ballot. The people
with a few exceptions would not go TO
the polls or pay any attention to the
matter. for the share of each voter in
the matter OF the county clerkship ID
too insignificant to deserve attention.
The electorate shrugs it's big shoulders
and fatty declines TO be bothered.
SO we face the problem of devising
system In which the people not only
can participate. but tcfu participate.
The Importance of the election must
reach the consciousness of every voter.
The way 70 bring this about Is not by
exhortatlon and prayer, but by giving
real Importance to the position that Is
10 be flled so as TO make 1t naturally
conspicuous. For instance, the Office
OF state assemblyman In New York Is
among the neglected positions. In ac-
tual practice this Is now an appoin-
tive positlon-appolntive by some self
established and irresponsible coterie or
local politicians. Even In the Off years.
when the assemblyman is sometimes
the only place on the ballot. experience
shows that the people do not take con-
troll. The place cannot. of course. be
made appointive by any other elective
officer. The proper alternative rs to
Increase the Importance of the office
At present the assemblyman is mere
one northumberland fftieth of one
half of legislature. whose actions are
closely circumscribed by the constitu-
ton and subject to the veto of the gov
ernor. Suppose that, following the ex-
perlence of the cities. we substitute
one chamber for the present bicameral
system and triple the - OF the dis
tricts. Each assemblyman would then
be six times as important and. with
his increased capacity for good or i'll.
would attract more criticism, more
popular examination. IL the people
still fail to get excited over that Office
cut the size of the assembly In half
again, thrusting upoh twenty men
the responsibility OF all legislation for
a great state And surely then. If no;
before the Office will reach a pinnacle
of light where the whole electorate
will see II and feel concerned about II
and where 1t will be beyond the grasp
OF the politicians.
The Limitations of Democracy.
And so we have two practical iimita-
lions to our ideal of an election:
First-The number of officials to be
elected at any one time must be limit
ed to five or less; and,
Second.-The elective offices must be
limited to those that are of such i'm
portance and character that the people
will consent TO exert themselves TO
make the selection themselves.
In building n democracy everything
else must be warped to ut these funda-
limitations of the people themselves.
We cannot wait for human nature to
change: we must order our institutions
10 fit human nature. There is no hope
in putting square collar on our horse
and then condemning the horse for
failure to grow a square neck Ac-
cordingly, while it may seem desirable
to have state treasurer elected so as
to secure independent audit OF ac-
counts. we must secure protection In
some different way II it Is found In
practice that the people do not select
the state treasurer for themselves.
1t may seem desirable in a city for
various reasons TO have large council
elected at large, but that plan with all
its advantages must be rejected on
account of the supreme and unalter-
able disadvantage that in practice the
real selecting under those conditions
is not done by the voters.
p No matter how many reasons may
be advocated for having all county on
Gals independently elected. those rea-
sons cannot stand against the over
wheimingly and unalterable disadvan-
tage that those offices make so little
appeal to the popular imagination that
the public IN practice ignores them
and leaves the selection of those OIL
Gals to be settled without supervision
BY anybody who volunteers Depiore
such wanton carelessness IL you VIII,
but the public is too big TO be spanked
The Success Of "the Short Ballet"
The fact that Great Britain. most OF
Canada and other foreign densocracies
recognize the inert clumsiness OF the
electorate and call for only the sim
plest popular participation is a big
enough difference to account for their
relative success. IL is the acceptance
Of the same principle that explains the
success Of the new notion Of govern
ing American cities by small boards
or Commissions And until our pol
iiics Is simpli6ed IN difference to the
human limitations Of the electorate In