The Washington times., 1915-01-02
Mr.. BOURNE'S PLAN

Mr.. BOURNE'S PLAN
Former Senator Bourne would
have US elect the Federal Office
holders. He has further echinated
the difficulty between President and
Senate by proposing it in all seri-
BUSINESS. Thus:
Tho remedy is the adoption Of a CON
stitutioral amendment divesting the
President of his power to nominate
collectors OF customs and
ers OF land offices. and district attor-
neys and United States marshals. and
providing that they shall be elected by
the people in their several Jurisdictions.
Take from the President the power OF
their removal. give him only the power
of suspension. with the right Of appeal
by the suspended employe to the Civil
Service Commission. which would have
the power Of reinstatement or removal.
If we do not err, Mr.. Bourne has
long been an advocate Of the short
ballot system Of governmental re-
form. We agree with him; and the
United States Government is the
greatest short-ballot administration
in the world. The only man with
executive authority that the whole
people Of the United States elect is
the President. A State elects a long
ticket Of State officers headed by q
governor. If the States were on the
same short-ballot basis as the Fed
eral Government, each State would
elect only a governor. Then he
would appoint secretary Of state,
a treasurer, a comptroller, an engi-
neer, and all the rest of the State
officers; just as the President ap-
points a Secretary Of State, a Sec
retary of the Treasury, and the rest
Of his Cabinet. After that the gov
ernor and his cabinet would appoint
the people to hold the jobs, just as
the President, advised by his Cabi-
net, now does.
The National Government will not
start backward in this matter Of con-
ccntrating responsibility. If the
postoffice of New York, for instance,
were a political prize, parties would
nominate for it, and it would be
jumbled up in the deals of municipal
politics. A man defeated for the
mayoralty might be given the post
Office as a consolation prize, though
in nowise fitted for its duties.
Again, think what ducks and
brakes would be made of the public
dominion if the registers and re-
ceivers Of Federal landoffices were
elected by the "people in their sew
eral jurisdictions!" A policy of con
servation dictated by the nationa
legislative authority in Washington
would have to be administered b!
people who, as is very we'll known
generally disagree throughout tn
public land States with that policy
1t would be utterly impossible.
Instead of having more politic
in the selection Of business officers o
the Government, we need less. In
stead Of electing postmasters, i
would be vastly better if the post
office were a great merit System. A
its top would be q Director of Posts
to be appointed on merit. He woul'
be a man of long experience in tn
service, who had risen by merit from
the lower ranks; who had been per
haps a rural carrier, superinten
dent of railway mail, a postoffice in
spector, a successful postmaster 0
a small city, promoted to a create
city, and thus on up to head of tn
service.
That's the way corporate busines
is done. Imagine a railroad lettin
the people along its lines-the pee
pie in the several jurisdictions"-
elect station agents and division 81
perintendents! Half the railroa
presidents in the country, first an
last, have been men who rose frol
the lowest rounds Of the railroa
service ladder; probably more.
In Germany a man is mayor of
city, not because he could drum u
| the most votes for the Job in
, political campaign, but because
, has been mayor Of a smaller cit
: and succeeded at the task. In mo-
! countries, a postmaster is a ma
I promoted to that place because l
: deserved the promotion; because
earned it by equipping himself
minor places from bottom to top.
y We need fewer elections Of ms