The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1915-02-13
HEAD NEEDED IN LOUISIANA.
New Orleans Item.)

|
There was never business so large
that it required two heads. There
never was business so small that it
could be safe without one real head.
Yet here in Louisiana, the peoples
business is divided into half dozen de-
partments, each department with head
irresponsible, unanswerable, elected
by the people" forsooth, and possessed
of no obligation to work in harmony
or unison with any other department
or in any loyalty to any party pledge
or any popular mandate!
Is it any wonder that we "get no
where?"
Is it any wonder that taxation and
assessment are tangled riot of injus-
tice, inequality and insufficiency? Is
it any wonder that the confusion and
lack of knowledge of public business
in certain departments of the govern
ment is scandal? Is it any wonder
that certain department chiefs pull
wires and lobby and influence" prom
inent citizens" and trade votes on vital
posts, and scramble and squirm and
scuffle for notoriety, and play cheap
politics and cheaper personalities.
The American people select just one
man for the whole executive depart
ment of their Federal government. He
is commander in chief of the army and
navy. He appoints, in theory, 100000
,office-holders. He appoints every
supreme, appellate, and district Federal
Judge.
! Yet not one single president has ever
been able to elect himself or any friend
against the peoples will!
/ And the executive branch of the
American Federal government is the
most efficient single department of the
government. 1t is infinitely more eff
fcient than the executive department
of any State government in the Union!
The reason is simple.
The president is responsible! The
whole people know exactly whom to
blame! If corrupt judge gets on the
Ibench-the president named him and
the president is to blame. If the post
Office gets into tangle, the postmas-
ter general is responsible to the presi-
dent and can be disciplined or dismiss
led! If an attorney general dallies with
corporations, shirks duties and chases
political phantoms-t president, who
named him, can fire him.
There is no confusion. There is
order. There is no division of RESPONSE
bility. 1t is centered on one man. He
is answerable, on him can be directed
the full force of public wrath
And after brief four years, the
people, if they do not like the way that
one man has discharged the whole or
any part of his responsibility-can fire
him. And so they did fire Grover Cleve-
land after his first term, Benjamin
Harrison after lis only term, and Will
liam Howard Taft after his one term.
If the people of Louisiana went to
the polls every four years, with their
minds bent upon the task Of naming
from those running, one man, to be
charged with the job of hiring his as
sistants and running the BUSINESS of
the State for four subject to
recall-then the people of Louisiana
would think carefully, act thoughtfully,
punish forcefully, reward willingly.
And their hired man, who could then
be really and truly governor in the
business-like sense of the word, would
go about his duties with a new sense
of obligation and with new understand
ing of opportunity for public service