The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-17
EXPLAINS REFORMS SOUGHT
IN NEW STATE CONSTITUTION
Jud &c Rodenbeck Tells of Underlying
Principles That Will Make for
More Efficient Government

minlstration shall be held responsible
Ihs feature Is new to our State gov
eminent. but is present In the admin
istration or some Of our cities and has
worked advantageously to the inter.
ests OF the taxpayers.
As a former Mayor of the city OF
Rochester. ] have had occasion to pre-
pare a budget In this manner and II
appeals to me as the normal, sensible
n efficient method for raising rev.
enues by appropriations. Some check
must be imposed upon the extravagant
increase In h administration OF pub
lie anairs and the proposed new bud
get system seems the most obvious
one In connection with other reforms.
The efficiency Of the Government,
however. Is mainly increased under
the new Constitution by the creation
OF seventeen distinct civil departments
into one Of which all Of the civil ad-
ministrative and executive functions
OF the State government must fall. All
OF the heads OF these departments un-
less otherwise provided in the Consti.
tuition are required to be appointed by
h Governor and may be removed in
his discretion. This feature of the
new Constitution gives the Governor
the power to direct the administrative
Affairs % the State government.
1t puts the administration Of pub
lie Affairs upon a business basis and
makes the Governor a real factor in
directing State matters instead OF a
f~gurehead without power to shape
his administration. II IL "a farce to
elect a Governor under conditions
which render him helpless to institute
administrative reforms which appeal
10 him as necessary. Under the pro
posed division OF the Government into
a definite number Of departments 1t
will be possible not only for the Gov
ernor to accomplish reforms but FOR
the people to hold him accountable for
the failure to do so.
Nowhere is the principle OF eff
cheney which runs through the Consti-
tuition more conspicuous than in the
provisions relating to the judiciary Of
the State. As the administration OF
justice il nov conducted the RESPONSE
e!lity for an effective administration
while really upon the courts is in
fact vested in the Legislature by rea-
son Of its authority to enact the pro-
cedure which governs the courts.
This is another instance OF ineffi-
cheney due to the system n not to
the incapacity Of public officials. The
courts are vested with the duty Of ad-
m!nistering justice. but the Legisla-
ture by a series Of legislative rules
has prescribed how the courts shall
perform their work. These rules are
fixed and Interchangeable by the courts
themselves and have resulted in a
cumbersome, technical and expensive
procedure.
The revised Constitution proposes to
change this system and TO vest in the
courts the power to make their own
rules OF procedure. thereby placing
upon the courts the entire r%espons.'
bility for any ineficiency. II was
found that the Court of Appeals was
behind in its calendar and provision
has been made in a b~usinesslike way
10 enable the court to expedite its
labors and bring its work dow to
date. The same thing has been done
with reference TO the Appellate Divi-
sion, where the cases had accumulated
beyond the power OF the Appellate
Division 70 decide them promptly.
Two CONSULTATIONS Of courts have
been made in New York city. one being
he Court, Of General Sessions and the
other the City Court. and will result
In a greater uniformity Of practice in
the superior city courts in that city.
These changes and many others en-
phas.ze the controlling idea OF the
new Constitution TO increase efficiency
In State government.
Nowhere, however. has more skill
been displayed in framing the pro-
visions of the new Constitution than
in the article relating to the powers
VI municipalities. both with respect 10
c.:!es and counties. An attempt has
been made TO central!ze responsibility