The Washington herald., 1910-05-15
CITIZENSHIP THAT IS "FOR EXPERTS on
"THE SHORT

lie these opportunities for profitable
mischief The condition simply invites
crime. It IS Ike a treasure without a
guard. The long ballot provides all the
paraphernalia Of flmfam game.
How the FIimfan Works.
Now enter the himhammer. Let Us
say that a railroad happens to need a
friendly board Of railroad commission
ers. The railroad makes connection
with a few bosses or sends some agents
70 the caucuses. In due time Mr.. Train
"a friend Of railroads) IS spoken Of IN
favorable terms as a prospective can
didate for railroad commissioner. Lat
er on he is duly nominated. The peo-
PIE hear practically nothing about him.
A protest from some man who sees the
trick gets no publicity. Mr.. Train and
all that he stands for IS safely conceal
ed IN the crOwd-lCst IN the shuttle.
With forty other Republicans or Demo
Gratis he gets elected by just about the
same plurality that the state treasurer
and the attorney general received a
railroad that couldn't get safe" men
on such a railroad commission ~ II
really wanted 70. would be a pretty
feeble road. wouldn't you despise the
Intelligence OF a railroad management
that couldn't get past the people" IN
such a confused election?
But suppose instead OF forty Offices
FhrH 10
rest being appointive. Would Il be
easier or harder Tor the railroad 70
sneak its nomination through II a
movement for such q short ballot
started IN Ohio, cant YOU see the rail-
road men shrieking that such Concen-
tration OF power would be "Undemo-
cratic, F" dangerous 10 liberty and tax
ing away power from the peopIe?"
What the Long Ballot Means.
The longer the ballet the harder for
the people TO see what they are doing
and the easier for raseaIs &c get in.
The longer the ballot the easier to
uiUuam tne people.
This longer the ballot the less the
people rule and the more the politician
rules.
The longer the ballot the less real
democracy you have.
Democracy Can't Work In the Dark.
Democracy. like photography. won't
work without light The people must
be able to see what they are doing. II
for lack Of information they are Obliged
to accept the party label as the only
reason for voting for a man. oliCarchy
IS the result-nOt democracy. To thrust
upon the people more duties than they
have time to perform is undemocratic.
The duty OF selecting q coroner is only
a needless nuisance. Il is not a right
or privilege. It is not the kind Of lib
erty the pilgrims crossed the sea for.
Democracy does not mean electinE ev-
erybody It means control by the peo-
pie, and the best popular control is OBJ
tanned by having the issues simple and
plain and clear. The people now are
swamped, and the politician Is IN glee. |
No one but the politician has use for !
politics.
No one but the politician wants
TO be one Of the learned /
No one but the politician wants TO |
see the average citizen scared out OF /
politics by the hard work involved.
The Short Ballot"
We shall never get government by
the people until all the people know /
the candidates for all the elective Of
fees. How else can the people do the
choosing for themselves. We must
get the short ballot We must ask the
people to choose no more officials than
experience shows they viii choose. The
electoral burden Of the people must be
'educed to practicable limits. The plat
orm Of The Short Ballot Organization
which President woodrow Wilson Of
Princeton has recently formed ex-l
presses it this way:
"OnIy those Offices should be elective
which are important enough to attract
and deserve) public examination; and.
'Very few Offices should be filed by
lection at one time so as to permit
dequate and unconfused public ex-
ninatiOn of the candidates."
Simple, isn't it? Public exanina-
ion" is the key to It. Elect no more
han you can take a good look at. Buv
10 more political goods than you can
inspect.
The Short Ballot Applied.
Let's be definite about it. Suppose /
re make the state government as sim
lie as the national government. elect ,
1g just the governor and the Iegisla-
lre and letting the governor appoint
he other state officers. Suppose for
mall cities we adopt the Des MoiDes
plan Of government-just
We to elect and no more. Suppose for !
irge cities We gave the council COM
lete charge so that the ballot IN each
ard would look like the little one from ,
ngland reproduced herewith. What
nance is there for a political expert to
-ork his flimfam game then? The !
eople are on the Job with a search ,
gnt. There is no obscurity, no public 8