The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1912-01-04
CARY RApS UNIVERSITY AGAIN.

W tcdCucfo anu biO SChOt"i PuoiiNt
State Superintendent G. p. Cary re-
news his discussion of the university
in its relation to the state government,
laying special emphasis on the peril
he sees in the increasing number OF
permanent commissions and appointive
positions, the growing productivity of
the Madison "bill mill" and the spread
of the idea that only experts" can
safely be trusted with government
affairs.
The university, according to Supt.
Cary, is to be held largely responsible
for these tendencies in Wisconsin,
using these means to further strength
en- its hold upon the state. Supt.
Cary's letter follows;
"We are in the midst of confusion of
political tongues. Those who believe
thoroughly in democracy say the
people should rule. The '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.
1t is needless to say there are eXcep-
tions. The politician agrees with Lin
coin In saying he wants government
of the people. for the people, by the
people: the specialist wants govern
ment by the expert for the people.
Plato in his Republic wanted govern
ment by the philosophers, SO 90 some
of our philosophers. From the ex-
perts' point of view the ordinary mem
ber 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.
'"Ihe experts are coming to think
that only experts can administer the
laws after they are made. But diff
ficulty arises. The expert regards the
people as incompetent to select ex-
perts. They do not know an expert
when they see him, and are liable to
make mistake. 1t is not safe to trust
to an election. The remedy is to form
as rapidly as possible a bureaucratic
or commission form of government in
stead of a democratic. How is this to
be accomplished? The reply is by
creating numerous bureaus, boards,
commissions and the like, and making
the positions appolntive, 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 appointive Offices.
81 am not referring to temporary
investigative commissions composed of
| experts, and | am accusing no one of
insinccrity or of scheming to do away
with popular government or of seeking
to create positions that they may
themselves fill. The worst | have in
mind to say is that it is undemocratic
and short-sighted to go on multiplying
permanent commissions and increasing
appointive positions over Ehich 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
| oificialism of the old European bureau
cracies. Says Baghot, "a bureaucracy
is sure to think that its duty is to
augment official power official bust
ness, or official numbers, rather than
to leave free the energies of man
kind"
ALREADY, on account of the increase
of field men and office men in this al
most indistinguishable, confused and
confusing mass of state administ. alton
and university activities, the people
are beginning to wonder what it all
means and what the end is to be.
There is 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 that
these experts, at least in some cases,
are university professors Or they are
working under the direction of pro-
fessors. Some 2000 measures were in
troduced in the last legislature, 665 OF
which became laws. is this amount
of Legislation necessary every two
years? One begins to hear jesting re.
marks to the effect that the capitol is
an annex to the university to be used
for experimental and laboratory pur.
poses.
''Since the publication of the first
letter in this series, some of the most
thoughtful and experienced men of nay
acquaintance including alumni, have
said in all seriousness that the univer-
SHY with its large and constantly in
creasing body Of alumni, its numerous
field workers, its grip on the news
papers, its location at the capital, and
its political skill is master Of the state
now and will be henceforth. cannot
agree that it is now master of the
| lea, IN hnt do
long strides in that direction. Fur.
thermore, | do not believe that the
time will ever come when any free
people will be governed for long by