The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-01-04
SENDS OUT A PUBLIC LETTER
Again Hits Hard at the Relations Be-
tween University of Wisconsin and
Various Political Organizations of the
State-Holds University Responsible.
To Teachers and the General Public.

political tongues. Those who believe
thoroughly In democracy say the peo-
pie should rule. Tho ''experts' seem
to be discovering, however, that only
experts are capable of making the
laws and of administering the affairs
of modern states. The public spirited
politician on the stump is Jeffersonian,
he has confidence in the people; the
modern political specialist in his
closet is Hamiltonian, he thinks the
masses are ignorant if not corrupt and
must have the oversight of the wise,
It is needless to say there are excep-
tions. The politician agrees with Lin
coin in saying he wants q government
of the people, for the people, by the
people; the specialist wants q govern
ment by the expert for the people,
Plato in his Republic wanted govern
ment by the philosophers; SO do some
of our philosophers. From the ey-
perts point of view the ordinary mem
Der of the legislature has to learn from
the specialist what the state needs in
the way of legislation. Often the new
member is looked upon as kinder
garten pupil in political science,
The experts are coming to think that
only experts can administer the laws
after they are made. But q difficulty
arises The expert regards the people
as incompetent to select experts.
They do not know an expert when they
see him, and are liable to make a
mistake. It is not safe to trust to an
election. The remedy is to form as
rapidly as possible q bureaucratic or
commission form of government in
stead Of democratic. How is this to
be Accomplishment The reply is by
creating numerous bureaus, boards,
commissions and the like, and making
the positions appointive, not elective.
Another device is to shorten the ballot
as much as the constitution will allow
SO as to have few elective positions
and many appointiye Offices.
+ am not referring to temporary in
vestigative commissions composed OF
experts, and I am accusing no one OF
insincerity or of seheming to do away
with popular government or OF seeking
to create positions that they may them
selves FIJI. The worst I have in mind
to say is that it is undemocratic and
short sighted to go on multiplying per-
manent commissions and increasing
appointive positions over which the
people have no direct control. They
will surely with the lapse of time,
when the newness of things has worn
off, develop into the routine, offensive
oflicialism Of the old European bureau
cracies. Says Baghot, ga bureaucracy
is sure to think that it's duty is to
augment official power, official business,
or official numbers, rather than to
leave free the energies of mankind. =
| Already, on account of the increase
of field men and Office men in this
almost indistinguishable, confused and
confusing mass Of state administration
and university activities, the people
are beginning to wonder what it all
means and what the end is to be.
There is a growing impression that the
bill mills at Madison are working over
time and that in some way the experts
are responsible for much of it and thas
those experts, at least in same cases,
are university professors or they are
working under the direction Of profess
sors. Some 1000 measures were intro
duced i'll the last legislature, 665 Of
which became laws. Is this amount Of
legislation necessary every two yearsg
One begins to hear jesting remarks
to the effect that the capitol is an
annex to the university TO be used for
experimental and laboratory purposes.
Since the publication of the first let
ter in this series, some of the most
thoughtful and experienced men of my
acquaintance including alumni, have
said in all seriousness that the univer-
sity with its large and constantly in
creasing body of alumni, its numerous
field workers, its grip Oh the news
papers, its location at the capital, and
it's political skill make it master of
/ the state now and heneeforth. I can
not agree that it is now master of the
state, though it seems to have made
long strides in that direction. Further
more, I do not believe that the time
will ever come when any Anglo-saxon
people will be governed for long by
! one of its subordinate institutions OF
/ by any body Of men not directly re
Isponsible to the people. IF the uni
|versity is found at any time to be ex
ercising undue influences in the govern
ment and politics of the state, the PEG
pie will take it in hand, and / feal
not gently.
| The university possesses an sdysnt
lage Of enormous Importance in that il