New-York tribune., 1914-11-12
Government Rehabilitation. No
Job-grabbing, the Whitman
Administration S Task.
Not

State Chairman Tanners assurance ''"' '''
incoming Republican administration at Albany
will no, rush into job-grabbing, Tammany fssh-
ION. is welcome There is much houSecleanlng 10
do at the Capitol, and doubtless many places VIII
be vacant when the departments have been ria
Of undesirabeS That does not say that they
should be filed Certainly they should not be
filed by politician appointees with patronage
claims on the Organization" Conduct Of that
brand caused the rejection of the Glynn admins
tration.
There is big Job for Mr.. Whitman to DO for
this state and it should be done in big fashion,
rot in the little way of plum-picking The state
dsDer+n,ents are fornless and void, so far as any
rational scheme of handling the business the
state undertakes to do is concerned There are
Implications of work and overlapping OF author
nv. notably in the agencies for handling the char
liable affairs of the government; nevertheless
there are gaps and lacks in authority and Jurls-
diction of officials. There are inequalities of
work and pay among the employees. fhere are
6epartments charged with duties for which they
have no workers and no appropriations; there
arc institutions half completed AID abandoned, or
practically completed and idle. a private ca,l-
Germ which ran It's business the states affairs
have beer handled would be bankrupt and It's
responsible officials the objscts of inquiry as to
their sanity.
All this needs changing, and the changes are
oriv such as business reorgani1sr would recon-
mend and could carry out without much difficulty
if unhampered by political considerations and
recommendations. The people will look TO Mr.
Whitman 10 bring about such reorganization, but
without any spirit of revenge on Democrats who
NAV have places-unless they have been corrupt
and surely without any patronage-grabbing for
Republicans. If the result of the recent election
furnished any criterion, the people of the state
are sick to death of government for the benefit
Of the governing clique They want the state
administration to run affairs for the benefit snd
protection OF the public at large. They want the
Banking Department managed to safeguard de-
positors instead of to favor certain inside fnan-
cial interests and furnish Jobs for loyal party
beelers. They want the Insurance Department
operated to protect policyholders. They want the
Public Service commissions constituted and oper-
ated to serve the public rather than the corpora
tions they must regulate. They want the Com
pengation Commission and the Labor Department
TO be genuine agencies for protection of the work
ers and for social service rather than for fur
nishing Jobs and manipulating business" in a
'N'NA"'A
Commission to develop the states forests and
water powers in such fashion that selfish inter
ests NAV not benefit instead of the general pub
lie They want the prisons and hospitals man.
aged with proper care for the unfortunate
inmates and proper view of their relation to
society.
The state in the past has had its fill Of govern
rnent for the big mantle big politician and his
friend, Big Business, seeking undue advantage
It is time it should have some government for
the little mantle plain, ordinary, honest, strug-
Cling taxpayer. The policy Of Mr.. Whitman's
administration should be TO furnish that-to re-
organize the departments and regenerate the1
policies to fit that scheme of operations. If he
docs that, he'll have done mans job man-fash-
ion. and if he undertakes his work in that spirit
he will justify the vote of confidence which gave
him his credentials for the task.