The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1913-03-22
DoNALDsoNyILLE LA, SATURDAY, MARoH %. 1915
Commission government for a state.

Commission Government for State
4 Governor Hodges Of Kansas be
I1eves the commission goVernmen
idea may be successfully applied t
the management Of states as well a
cities, and in a recent message t,
the general assembly Of that stat,
! he suggested that the senators AM
] representatives talk over the propo
] sition with their constituents anf
/ come back to Topeka two year,
hence prepared to vote upon it in
telhgent1y. His idea is for a perma
nent legislative commission, Of moi
less than eight nor more than siyteer
members-one or two from each o,
the eight congressional distriets--t
remain in session all the time, sub
Ject to recall SO as to make the
body promptly responsive to the will
OF the people, and drawing salaries
that will Justify them in giving their
entire time and attention to the
states work
Governor Hodges believes the pres.
ent system, handed down from Eng.
land, is antiquated and cumbersome
and Inefficient. The Kansas legis.
lature meets every two years and re-
mains in session fifty days. during
which time its members are called
upon to consider several hundred
measures Of more or less Importance
to the state. It is manifest, accord
ing to the governor, they cannot give
to each individual measure the care
ful consideration that should be
given. "A legislative assembly such
as have suggested e states Gov.
Hodges, could give ample time to
the consideration OF every measure,
not only in relation to- It's subject
matter, but to the drafting of it in
plain, concise and easily und derstand-
able Language. It would be ready at
any time to deal with new conditions
and to provide relief in emergency
cases, and, with time TO inform itself
abo1lt conditions, and to- study the
needs Of our state institutions, there
seems to me to be no question but
that it would be vastly more efficient
than our present system, as well as
Kansas has been d state for more
than fifty years, but.lit is still plug
sing along, like the IaIanee OF the
states, with the. SAND lid machinery
ion Il d Is q slsp Use 4. Abe
beginning No private business con-
cern now uses the Methods Of fifty
years ago: in every activity OF mod
ern life new and progressive meth
ods have. been adopted, says Gov.
Hodgesstate affairs alone are still
conducted by the old and cumber-
some dual house system. Gov.
Hodges believes the people of Kan
sas are progressive. in the broadest
sense Of the words meaning, and
hat if given an opportunity at the
ballot box they will declare in favor
i the changed legislative system.
The state of Kansas has for
number Of years been leading the
other states of the. union. in progress
i've matters. Sometimes Kansas has
9een accused Of harboring visionary
and some Of these things
lave appeared visionary at the start,
idb LIE AAsaIiScS w q lids o0di1I pGGu t
ound to be really sound and sub
tantial in the end The suggestion
y Governor Hodges, the first Demo
ratio executive the state has elected I
n many years, for the Inauguration
f the commission system of govern
aent in state affairs, therefore, is
lot to be regarded lightly. It is
Forth the serious and thoughtful con-
liberation Of all men who are inter
sted in better government, and the
ecision made by the people of Kan
as two years hence will be awaited
nth more than the ordinary amount
+ interest. Shreveport Journal
;astro Gets the Glad Hand In Cuba.
The reception accorded Gen. Ci-
riano Castro, expresident of Vene-
uela, On the occasion of his arrival
t Havana was in marked contrast to
le cold-shoulder given him at New
.ork, where determined but un-
uccessful effort was made by the i
IMMIGRATION authorities to keep him.