The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-10-12

high road. Governor Hatfield made
a plea in favor of this progressive re-
form in his recent speech at west
Union. and the Gazette accuses him
of reaching out after absolute, I'M
limited. unconditional power to do
ne he p1eases.'' What the governor
really suggested was simply that!the
state constitution be SO changed that
the voters may elect responsible
head Of their state government, place
in his hands the power to select and
to remove the henderson his cao11
net. Just as the president of the Uni
ted States selects and removes, tho
members of his official family, and
then hold the one man accountable
for the carrying out of the popular
mandate.
Under our present system West
Virginia has seven administrative es'
ltablishments-a big one and six lit
tie ones-and seven separate, loose,
Iiy-connected administrations going
on at the same time, sometimes har-
Enormously, sometimes at logger
Iheads as to- important matters OF
public policy. For anything that
goes wrong through this unwise d.
vision of responsibility the governor
is sure to be compelled to shoulder
most Of the blame, but he has no
mower to force an acqufescence on
the part Of officials who should be
Ills subordinates under any theory
of responsible representative govern
ment.
Let the Gazette compare Governor
Hatffeld's West Union suggestion
with that OF. the short ballot asso-
citation of New York affiliated with,
the national short ballot association
,of3which President Wilson is thetmost
conspicuous headlight. Here is the
New York plan:
!, Our proposal Is; TO: make the
\ governor take the responsibility
for these minor offices. Our
amendment makes the secretary
OF state, state comptroller, state
treasurer, Encouragement, tate
engineer and surveyor appoint
i've and removable by the gov
ernor. The governor is also
given the same control over the
present. appointive state officers,
no appointments or removals be-
ing subject to confirmation or
interference by. the senate. This
sets IN the same principle OF in
dividual responsibility wllcn
has worked so we'll on far larg-
err scale in the case of the
mayor Of New York City: This
will reduce the state ballot to
two offices, governor and lieu
tenant governor.
The offices which should be in
Guided in the governors cabinet are
In no sense political, so far as relates
to the carrying out. of any policies
independent OF those for which the
whole administration should stand
as a result of its election by the peo-
lple. They are technical, routine OF
fices. and their incumbents should be
selected by the man who has practt-
cally to shoulder the responsibility
for their conduct in office. Expert
lence in many states has shown that
1.-The .invisible government" much
more readily establishes relations
with subordinate government off
lcIals when they are elective than
when they owe their positions to APP
pointment by the chief executive.
Even If Governor Hattields' plea
for short ballot, and the enlarge
ment of executive power and respon-
aibility that goes with it, had a
souint in the direction of making
the governor Of West Virginia an abb
solute monarch with plenary prerog7
satiyes., as the Gazette appears igno-
Srf1antlytto assume, the Charl ton con
Temporary ought surely to under
stand that the proposed change could
IL no way afge at lie situation q the
rresehf adniinistratiofi Whatever