The Washington herald., 1911-03-12
NEW IDEAS IN POLITICS.
VI.-THE SHORT BALLOT.

party organization that placed him on a
ticket where he could be voted for as one
of a group instead of as an individual
"A great array of elective public Of
fees means control by the few, rather
than by the many" says Edward Mer-
riam associate professor of political
science in the University OF Chicago.
''Amenability to popular control will be
better secured by reducing the number
of offices, so that the requirements OF the
candidates for each position may be care
fully scrutinized and the most intelligent
choice should be made. This smplifica-
ton of the machinery of the government
can most easily be- made by eliminating
administrative offices from the elective
list
There can be no good reason why offices
as auditor, engineer. and surveyor should
be elective. An auditor must be accurate
and honest and there is no such thing
as Republican auditing or Democratic
auditing. Nor is there a Republican way,
nor a Democratic way, nor a Prohibit
ZIONIST way of administering the Office
Of engineer. Certainly there can be no
form of surveying that could be char
aCterlZed as Socialist or democratic or
Republican. The true principle Is that
the people should choose all officers con-
cerned with the formulation of public
policies. The making of law is partisan,
but the enforcement of law should be
nonpartisan.
ITO the objection that elective officials
would have too much power if they were
permitted to appoint all subordinate
officials. a good answer has been formu-
lated by Richard s. Childs, secretary of
the Short Ballot Organization. 1T may
be objected" he says, that to take the
minor Offices of the state ticket. for in
stance. and make them appointive by the
governor. would be giving too much
power to the governor. Well, somebody
we rarely know who. practically appoints
them now. There are other answers. but
that one is sufficient"
4 practical illustration of the operation
Cf the short ballot is found in the numer-
Gus cities governed under the modern
commission plan" in which from three
To five commissioners are elected and
made responsible for the entire manage
ment Of tho city's affairs. Observers
generally COnCedc that these cities fur
rish the best examples of weIl-governcd
communities to be found in America. and
this is attributed by the short ballot
advocates to tho fact that every citizen
gets a chance to know all about every
candidate before election. and conse-
quently the best men are selected for the
CommissionerShips
The short ballot found a place for the
first time in many OF the State party
platforms OF 1910. In Delaware both Re
publiCans and Democrats advocated in
their platforms the abolition of unneces-
sary Offices, as did the Democrats Of
Kansas. Pennsylvania. Illinois, Indiana,
Alabama, South Dakota. and New Jer-
sey. and the Republicans Of California,
Oregon. and Michigan.
The movement j. making rapid head
way in many States, and in several in
which conventions for constitutional re-
vision are shortly to be held the effort
to reduce the number of State offices
specified as elective in the constitutions
will be made
tCosgriEht, 1911. by Frank Parker Stockbndse.D