The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-01-01
A SHORT BALLOT EFFORT.

The county Of Los Angeles, Cal, is
about to experiment with the short
ballot. at least with . ballot q good
deal shorter than the one now in use.
Under the provisions Of a bill which
it is expected will Go authorised by
the legislature 1t Is proposed to ar
range the method Of selecting county
officials in such a manner that not
more than two or three will be elected
at n m time, instead Of tho thir-
teen or more that are now elected at
once Twenty-Five Offices that are
now elective will become a%ppointive.
The appointive power will be vested
in a board of supervisors. and their
selections will be made from q list
Of persons who have qualined under
civil service rules. Provisions are al
30 made for the removal Of oficials.
All Of this Is in the interest Of simp :.
fication, which means that It IL In the
interest OF intelligent self government.
Self government does not necessar-
fly mean the election by popular vote
of anybody in particular. It does
mean the retaining II the hands Of
the people the real effective power
Of government in such form that it
can be actually and promptly exercis-
ed. Sometimes that can the very
opposite Of the direct election Of on
Gals.
There are oflces in connection with
every government, state. national and
local. clerical in their nature. 90 that
the public takes no special interest In
them, or because Of their nature tech
meal and necessarily removed from
public observation and existing apart
from public interest. The government
Of the United States is 80 organized
that with all its thousands Of en-
ployes. with the tremendous interests
entrusted to 1t, with the multifarious
activities in which It engages. the in
dividual citizen, NJ matter whore he
lives. votes directly for three persons,
IN . few special cases for four, ana
In some cases moro or less directly
for . nth. He votes for president
and vice president. and for a member
Of congress from his district. II the
state IL entitled to a congressman at
large he votes for that person, and
through the primary election laws Of
some states he may vote indirectly for
senator. Before long he Will vote reg
ularly and directly for senator, under
the amendment which is now in proc
ess Of ratification. In other words he
aids directly in the selection OF the
men who make the laws, and in the
mar to whom has been entrusted
the responsibility of executing them.
He does not vote for a secretary of
the treasury. or a secretary OF wal
or Of the navy. for a pure food CON-
missioner or a commissioner OF pub
Tic lands. And, while there are mis-.
takes made and defects to he remedied.
he gets a lot better government than
he would If at every national election
he were required to wrestle with q
ballot containing a scor or a hundred
names Of men Of whom he never
l1sard, and about whom he cares not
p jot. and Of Offices concerning whose
duties he has scarcely a conception.
CONGRESS- is responsible for the laws
which 1t passes. 81 the citizen does
not like the record which his mem
Der makes he has his remedy in his
own hands. The president is respon-
sible for the administration Of the
laws. and II he appoints corrupt or
incapable men he is held. and rightly
held responsible.
The people Of almost every state.
IN almost every election. elect to quite
important ofices men whom no SOW
oul dare appoint. Thew
elect these men because they do not
know them. and know little about the