The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-03
GIVE GOVERNOR ALL
POWER, SAYS ROOT
Make Him Responsible and
Thus Eliminate Bosses,
Ex-senator Adds.
rypLAINS ALBANY SPEECH

Atp,Sv. Aug 2.-Ex-Senator Root re-
,,sed tonight to comment on his re-
r,-ks last Friday night before the Tan
cor committee of the Constitutional Con-
,sr,ion, when he urged n favorable re-
mr., upon the plan to reorganiae the
State government.
Mr. Root did. however. point out that
Me views. as expressed before the Tan
r.r committee, were a reiteratlon OF
,hose he expressed as temporary chair
man of the Republican State convention
a, Saratoga last August, when he said
~-hs Guty of the Republican party of
IN. state will not be limited to ad-
uinistration. The great changes OF our
,,ne in Industrial and social conditions.
the increase of population and wealth.
,he growth Of cities. the magnitude of
business enterprise, the interdependence
N individual life. have cast new burdens
u,on government ard have made II
vastly more complicated and difficult.
The essential principles have not
changed. but the machinery has become
overtaNed.
Abuses have arisen. and mere faithful
simints. ration appears unable to remove
them, for the organization OF gov
,rnment has become inadequate. These
conditions must be dealt with by afirma-
tive. constructive treatment and that
treatment II IL the duty n II IL the
purpose Of the Republican party 10 give.
IesIsiatures' Problems GrOw.
"The question with which our Legis-
l,urcs now have to deal involve enor-
nous values. complicated relations and
social problems with which the best
thought Of the world IL struggling. To
attain wise action y such questions
intelligent leadership is necessary. That
Is the invariable rule of human action.
Results which require the conjo'nt
action Of considerable numbers Of men
never yet have been successfully at
tanned. and apparently never will be
,xrcp, through the development OF some
leadership of thought and feeling. That
10 true in peace as II Is In war II Is
true In politics. In labor, I'm sport. In
business. upon every occasion which re-
qulres many men to act together. There
need not he control. but there must be
leadership.
Elm recent years the real leaders of
opinion the natural leaders. the men
competent tn lead in politics. In business
AMI VI lliFNt lN-ldNf " tS ~ iuHt bFVT
members Of state Legislatures. There
are eHpections. but II is true OF the sys-
TEN generally that our State Legisla-
lures have not contained within them
selves the clements OF leadership neces-
ary 70 deal with the great problems of
our time.
"From this lack OF capacity for in
trnal leadership there came. in the
course of our political development a
system Of internal leadership Of State
legislatures. Party leaders from out
SIDE the Legislature directed legisl, alive
operation. and ultimately the one chief
party leader exercised sole control over
hs party votes IN the Legislature. Not
selected by the people. not responsible
10 them. not subject TO the obligation OF
ohcial station. free from all the linilta-
tons which law have thrown about
he exercise Of official power. proceed
!tg IN private. and accountable to no
one for the motives or the influences
operating upon him. this extra constitu-
tonal authority came to control the
constitutional government Of the states.
Revolt Against Ola System.
"A popular revolt against the system
'hus created found its expression in
many parts OF the country in state
Constitutions crowded with limitations
upon the power OF the Legislatures and
In the e%Npedient OF direct legislation by
he pc pie through the initiative and
compulsory referendum. These expeii-
ents have been the outcome OF proper
and laudable determination to esCape
from the control OF Legislatures dom
mated in the way | "A described.
They are not. however. the tue ave.
nues Of escape. They are not progress
They are progression, They are no,
REFORM They are abandonment OF rep
resentative government. They ate based
upon 4 surrender of State Legislatures
10 pe-dit.un. They concede incapacity
OF q free. self-governing people to con.
st!tute and maintain an honest ant
competent legislative body.
The true remedy liz not TO abandon
representative government, but to re
form our representative system anc
make II adequate to the demands oi
our time. To accomplish this the people
themselves must give adequate leader
ship to their legislative bodies and con
form the power and procedure o. those
bodies to the existence OF such leader
ship
Instead OF having an unoffcial politi'
cal boss leading our Legislature IL
secret let the leader Of the Legisla'
ture he elected by all the people OF thu
state, put by law into such relation.
WIN III" legislative BODY that his leader
snip Will he exercised In public and law
III Procedure. and let the Governor o.
the State he that leader.
To have effective government some
body should he responsible for a gov,
erhnental policy. Let the Governor b,
responsible, subject to the approval oil
lsapproral of the Legislature. Let th'
h~o'frnor or the heads OF his executive
apartments nave seats IN the Senat,
ana Assembly, with the right TO ex'
pam their policies and the du'y TO an
sHer questions pertinent to legislation
Plan 10 eliminate Log Rolling.