The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-02-19
Problems in Government.

| Inc political inventors OF Kansas are consider
ing the advisability of abolishng the State legs-
| lature and creating State council which shall
meet three or four times year to consider legis-
lation demanded by the people. The arguments
advanced in favor of this extension Of the commits
sion form OF government TO the State, are that ii
will be more economical than the legislature, and
| that fewer and better laws would be the result
Such change could be made only by remodeng
the constitution OF the State and that would have
to be submitted to the people There may be bet
ter Ways OF making laws than by legislature. but
| ii is questionable whether small State council
called in session by the governor would make
| fewer and better laws. by acting under the spur
OF agitation without either deliberation gen
eral knowledge by the people. A few men backed
up with publicity might think they legislat-
ing for the whole people and after the laws went
into effect discover that they represented the de-
nands OF small minority instead OF the majority.
The State legislature often makes such mistakes
and the members have to accept responsibility
when they get back home 1t may be a weakness
in form OF government that the people have
to be consulted and that they liable TO change
their minds but it is the American way and cannot
be changed without the consent OF the people.
In the Southern States they have their prn-
cipal contests in the primaries where candidates
arc chosen and the result OF the primary contests
arc accepted final without any contest on cleo
ton day. Last April, Alabama had Senatorial
primary in which the whole country took in
tercst because the candidates for United States
Senator were Oscar Underwood and Capt. Rich
mond p. Hobson. The latter introduced the prohbi
ton issue which added TO the interest. it gave
Capt. Hobson the moral support OF all the prohibi
tionists from Maine to California and made the is
sue revcrberatc through the halls OF Congress But
with OF the largest votes pollcd in Alabama
in many years, Mr.. Underwood was nominated,
receiving nearly 10000 votes to less than $1,000
for Capt HobSon. Ii was a larger vote than was
cast in the Presidential election in 1912 that in
1908 1904 and Mr. Underwood's in the
primaries 10000 larger than the total vote OF
the State at the November election The same
contest made in the primary State Offices,
and antprohbiton candidate for governor
was nominated Prohibition was defeated in the
primary where $4,000 votes were cast, but the
legislature elected in November with hall that
number OF votes, has enacted prohibition law
and passed the law over the governors veto.
1t would appear from the primary vote OF the
State that the governor represented the will OF
the people. but from the election returns that the
legislature represented that will. No one tell
which until there is another election in Alabama.
The situation in Alabama simply illustrates the
complaint OF Kansas that the legislature docs not
always reflect public opinion. But what we
going to do about it? A small State council is
just as liable to reflect the sentiments OF the ag-
tators, not to the word "lobbyistS' who gather
about the State capital is the legislature The
only way to remedy the weakness OF the present
form OF government. il it is weakness, is for the
people to keep awake and show the same interest
after the primary and the election, and let their
representatives know that they awake. They
now too often leave the formation OF what is
called public sentiment to the agtators who are
ubiquitous and ever the job with mailing list
to attract letters from back home that will assure
the legislator that the really good people of the
district demand the new law, and that public
sentiment has changed.