Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1913-05-09
know that they have sustained

tervened in the suit before the In.
terstate Commerce Commission in
volving the rates on wheat and flour |
to Arizona and New Mexico, and It's
attorney believes that he will be
able to secure new rates which will
mean thousands of dollars to the mill
ers Of central Kansas.
This Utilities Commission has also
set its face against stock watering
concerns. Recently big corporation
in southeastern Kansas wanted to in
vest two million dollars and issue five
million dollars worth of stock. The
Utilities Commission refused to con-
slider the proposition and plainly
told the gentlemen who had applied
that the amount Of water was un-
necessarily large.
Chairman Martin is now in Wash
ington in conference with the Inter-
state Commerce Commission on the
subject of the physical valuation Of
the railroads of Kansas, a work
which is progressing as fast as can
be expected.
The work already done by the Ed
ucational Commission justifies its
friends in believing that it will be
great success. 1t has already elm
mated several Implications of work at
great saving Of expense to the tax
payers of the state. 1t has elimi-
mated useless officer at the State
Normal and will put the business of
that institution on an economic basis;
but perhaps the thing it has done
up to date which will most commend
itself to the public is the establish
ment of secondary courses at the
Agricultural College which makes it
possible for graduates from the ru-
raj schools to take one,two or three
year courses in industrial branches
with no view to- complete univer-
sity education. These short courses
are to be made absolutely practical
and are intended to give special
training to Kansas boys and girls
who either cannot afford or find the
time to take a longer course to a de-
gree.
The object Of the Commission is to
weld the educational institutions of
the state into one great system of
co-ordinating schools instead of CON-
peting schools. This means that we
will no longer have lot of schools
hostile to each other and making a
strenuous fight before each legisla-
ture to see which can get the big
gest appropriation. This is Governor
Hodges idea of business admins
tration.
The latest of the great national
papers to endorse Governor Hodges
"one house legislature" idea is COL
lier's Weekly, which discussed the
question in a leading editorial last
week. Golfers says:
"The friendliness of the newspaper
endorsements of this idea printed in
Golfers last week, coupled with the
inefficiency, even more than usually
discreditable, Of many of the state
Legislatures recently in session, indi-
Gates widespread willingness to try
this momentous departure in Ameri-
can government"
1t is safe to say that no proposal
by the chief executive of any state
in the last decade has caused such
nationwide discussion as Governor
Hodges proposal to the Kansas legis-
lature.
1t must be borne in mind that Gov
ernor Hodges is not now advocating
commission form of government, but
only change in our legislative sys-
TEN. 1t is not proposed as some imag
inc to in any wise infringe upon the
time honored distinction between ju-
dicial, administrative and legislative.
Thsee features are to be preserved.
The thing which is at the basis of
the governors proposal is to secure
legislative body which is really rep
resentative, and representative be-
cause it will be more efficient, give
quicker response to the demands of
our economic and social conditions
and to the will of the people. A leg
islature which does that is alone
which does not, no matter how large,
is not representative and so is not
democratic. The proposal of Govern
or Hodges is in the interest Of demo-
cratic government rather than against
it.