The Paducah evening sun., 1910-01-06
PHILOSOPHY OF THE SHORT BALLOT.

For year The Evening Sun has been agitat-
ing the adoption of the commission form OF city
government which embodies the idea of min
imum number of elective offices, with cor
responding increase in the number of appoln-
tive offices and concentration of authority and
responsibility. The purpose is better correa-
tion of departments to Creduce friction, and
waste; to focus public attention on the respOn-
sible head Of the government and to avoid the
complications incident to the nomination and
election of long tickets.
With this introduction, we wish to submit
some facts that bear on the subject in regard to
the underlying principle, which must be worked
out in detail and may require some experiment
ing to perfect.
II is as easy as it is trite to say that demOc-
racy is a failure in municipal government, and
much easier than to seek out the trouble and
eradicate it. We are prone, too, when one plan
fails to meet our expectations to try the oppo-
site method, more in the spirit of resentment,
as the angry man filings away an offending
boot, than in the hope of betterng by the
change.
Our municipal systems are modelled partly
after the national and partly after our state
governments, and we can best get at a solution
of our local difficulties by first understanding
the nature and purpose of our government, com
pared with the needs of municipalities.
City governments are necessities, compelled
by the density of population and the circum-
ecribed field of action. Public health, life ana
property must be protected and traffic faclll-
tated by special local provisions, and these re-
aure a character of government designed to
meet unique conditions. Sewerage, paved
streets and street lights are necessary, and eX-
pert engineers are required to properly super
wise their construction and maintenance.
Water. fuel and lights for private use need
ed. and special provisions must be made to pro
feet citizens in their use. Here other kinds OF
experts are required The inhabitants are de
pendent on others for the production of their
f,od. Police and fire protection must be afford
ed Experts i'm these lines, also, are required.
The extraordinary demands of city life impose
extraordinary financial burdens, which must
be eauitably distributed, and only experts can
do that. The finances should be handled by an
cNlort: and. if we study the problem for a mo
n,ent, we are convinced that the great need Of
today is expert service in every
This being true, it is at once OBJ
vious that a city official, not an expert, cannot
inder the service required, no matter how hon
NJ he NAV be: and we have this to add, that
Is characteristic of an expert that he performs
task with an eye single for results, working
achievement and not pay and never salts
! 81 until his particular work is well done. Yet,
,rt service can only be secured by the GER
" of continuance in service.
n admit that, as rule, we do not have ex-
in the service of our cities. Now, what
- oes our system of governmentplay in this
vtong To begin with there is just one in
7hle quantity to be dealt with in these ques-
I'D that is human nature. Circumstances,
u.