New-York tribune., 1910-01-22
FUR SHORT BALLOT
IDEA rs GROWING.
Or. " oodro1c Wilson's Strong
AdUocacy at Conference.

Two hundred men who professed interest
Al OF acquaintance with the principle of
the short ballot met last night at the Hotel
.S'or 10 near the president of the organiza-
ton formed to promote that idea DR.
WOODROW Wilson, of Princeton University,
tell what might be expected of short ballot
REFORM properly applied
machines. machine politicians, BOSSES po-
hucaI leaders and long ballots received
'he most attention, both from Dr. Wilson
ana the other speakers, but along the way
such ofnclals as coroners. school commits
sioners and our own President of the Board
Oh Aldermen were mentioned as conspicu-
Gus examples of perfectly proper starting
points in the pruning of the ballot which
the new organization stands for.
Simplicity, DR.. Wilson said, must be the
Keynote of the reform, and simplicity, from
the point of view of the short ballot ad-
hefent, means that the number of elective
ofnces must be decreased in order that the
people shall in truth select their own of
hclals, instead of having them selected by
the boss
However" said DR.. Wilson, I'VE can't
get rid Of machines by moral condemna-
tlon' and. for that matter. if we could get
RID OF every machine and every machine
politician Tomorrow morning we'd have to
make a machine to take things in hand
again"
The short ballot principle he said was
TO reduce the number of elective officers
and, while giving those official positions
largely into the hands of an appointive
power, hold that power strictly account
able for the good government which the
system would bring if properly handled
The ideal was not necessarily government
rid of the present "'Twasn't me- system
and substitute therefor It's you sys-
tenn
AS model he mentioned Glasgow. gov
erned by a council of thirty-two members,
the different branches of the city govern
ment in the hands of different committees
of the council.
mo voter there said DR.. Wilson, votes
for more than one person at one time, and
he can watch the actions of that council
man of his day by day, and hold him
strictly accountable
For the first step in the new reform, DR..
Wilson suggested that the men interested
in It should convince leading men of the
efficacy Of the idea. then have them fit the
idea to their various localities The New
York City charter he characterized as a
complicated piece of obscurity, a complete
labyrinth"
II would despise the intelligence of an
official who couldn't find cover under II,
said he. but it should be modelled an
architectural design, so that an official
could be caught in its straight thorough
fares instead of having the privilege of
losing himself or his pursuers in its twist
ing alleys"
incidentally DR.. Wilson commended high
+o
any private conferences on public business,
and condemned those who arranged public
business privately.
In that connection he said he had been
credibly informed that after the last ma
tional election the German government,
through our own Department of State, fur
nished TO us certain figures on cost Of pro-
duction abroad of certain products, which
information, in the hands of Senator Aid
rich. was kept from other Senators.
The President should have said TO him
said Dr. Wilson, That is public docu-
ment; you make it public or I WILL and II
would have been made public. as It should
have been"
James w. Wadsworth, jr., Speaker of the
Assembly, declared that he did not hest
tate to subscribe to the principle of the
short ballot; in fact. he would subscribe to
more DTeNlIy II II COulu Dc ClLctLcus pdIhAC-
ularly 70 a shorter legislative programme.
The charter committee of the present
Legislature. he said, would report, if pos
sible. &c this session on charter one feat
ure Of which would be that the office of
Coroner in New York should be abolished
from the elective list. For his part he sug-
gested that the office of President of the
Board of Aldermen should likewise be abol-
ished from the elective list, and likewise
school commissioners in the rural counties,
and finally he urged that those Interested
in the short ballot principle should line up
their forces for the constitutional conven-
ton in 1914.
Nine out of ten of the bosses Speaker
Wadsworth said. would be heartily in favor
Of the short ballot principle.
Governor r. S. Vessey of South Dakota
declared his belief in the short ballot prin-
ciple.
1T places the responsibility somewhere
he said, "and it would give a Governor the
power 70 pick out his officials on efficiency
and ability, instead of having to take ac-
count of party service"
The Western Governor confessed surprise
TO ind so many insurgents in the East
Elliot H Goodwin and Tristan B. john
son also spoke.
phCTOP CAN'T 60 HOROKEN