The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-10-21
r. Il. Botkin Takes Slap at
Widespread Fad.
Says Too Much Regulation Is
Sought by States.
RUINS EFFICIENCY, HE SAYS
Legislative Regulation From
Hatpins to Skunks.
Suggests Reforms i'm Hot
Speech i'm Cincinnati.

Cincinnati, Ohio, Oct. 21.-Speaking
before the secretaries of state at their
annual convention, ]. T. Botkin, Kan
sas secretary of state, hurled harsh
words of -criticism at the growing
tendency to regulate individuals and
industry through the creation OF
boards and commissions Kansas, Bot
kin asserted, was no greater an often
der than many other states. The
general policy, he declared, was
wrong and should be discouraged.
The Botkin speech em@odied many
of the statements which the Kansas
official recently uttered in his attack
on the child hygiene bureau and other
boards and commissions in his home
state. One of the chief complaints
against the numerous boards and COM
missions, Botkins urged, was the in
ability of offended parties to fix
responsibility.
Cites Skunk Law.
Botkin said in part:
There seems to be a widespread
desire to control all the activities of
life by legislation and these new laws
in their ramifications reach out and
embrace practically every subject
from the regulation of the length of
Women's hat pins to the supervision
and control of our most gigantic COM
mercial concerns. In Kansas we have
a law against the killing of skunks
during certain months.
1.-The governor is elected for two
years, while IS rule members of
boards and commissions are appointed
by the chief executive for four years.
This sometimes results in governor
of one political faith and several
scores of Independent administrative
officers of another political faith
Stree. even in Kansas, public officers
sometimes play politics, there IS lack
of harmony in the conduct OF the pub
lie business and waste and inefficiency
result.
System UnwieIdy.
'Ore serious objection tc the system
is that it is unwieldy. There is no
head to it, no fixed -sonsibility,
either to the executive or to the peo-
pie. Effective control by the governor
is next TO impossible.
81 want it distinctly understood,
however, that when it comes to es-
tabIishing boards and commissions
full examination of the laws and Off
ciaI reports of other states convinces
me Kansas is below the average.
ST offer no criticism of any board
or commission nor any member of
such. 1 believe the system is wrong
and that the tendency to create them
should be checked There are a few
fixed and well established fundamental
eminent that are Interchangeable
Among these is the right of the peo-
pie to rule. This they can only do by
the exercise of the right of franchise
and any interference with or curtai1-
ment of that right will be looked upon
with suspicion.
Playing Politics.
t'It is important and essential that
reasonable number of executive and
state officers be and remain elective
and with a governor as chief executive
they will be held responsible for the
conduct of public affairs. In this way
will the executive power be concen-
trated and state government simpli-
fed
Botkin urged that commissions to
all appointive officers expire with the
term of the appointing power. Only
through such a policy, he said, would
the playing of petty politics and fac
tional political strife be eliminated