The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-12-24
NOTED EDITOR
IN FAVOR Of
NEW NE ETHOD
HENRY j. ALLEN OF THE WICHl-
IA BEACON HAS SOUNDED THE
FIRST KNELL OF THE PRESENT
PRIMARY SYSTEM.

! Kansas city, Mo. Dee % In his
speech ON What Ais Government"
before the Knife and Forl, club Of this
! city, last night, Henry J. Allen. editor
Of the Wichita Beacon. declared that
government is the only human ac-
tiyity Of any amount which Is perpet.
ually in the hands oi amateurs" and
that eve have dropped into the i'm
miral habit of believing that if a
! man has ever failed az every other
activity in life it is a sort of sign that
he ought to be given a chance as a
public servant"
III we selected crooks by popular
election" continued Mr.. Allen, eve
should starve. And il cashiers and
business managers were chosen by n
general ballot bankruptcy would be
the rule and success the rare cxcep-
ton
After discussing tGe indifferent
lethargy OF citizenship" in regard to
political affairs, Mr.. Allen referred to
a program, started by citizens of Kan
sas through which they hope to i'm
prove the present system of govern.
ment in that state
Instead of asking the voters at
large to choose the clerks, treasurers
and experts in the county unit, at "A
popular primary" Mr. Allen contin-
ued, they will seek To provide for the
elimination from the ballot of all the
clerical positions; shortening the bal
lot to include three commissioners
chosen from the electorate at large,
and the district judges. The commits
sioners, under a civil service regula-
ton win then hire at proper clerical
wages whatever clerical help the
county needs.
Auditors, county clerks, district
clerks sheriffs, registerers Of deed,
surveyors, assessors, engineers and
others who are now selected from "A
primary ballot, which often contains
the lame and the halt and the blind
of the community, will be chosen by
the commissioners, and chosen for
their ability to serve. BY the short
ening Of the ballot and the emphasis
placed upon the few who are chosen
by popular selection. we will elimin-
ate .--- evils OF the primary.
we save a million dollars a year in
Kansas on the cost OF county govern
ment alone Efficiency, experience
and expert knowledge will take the
place Of political incapacity and
clerical ineXperience. We have dis
covered that the people will not take
the time to select experts. They do
intelligently select governing boards
The Kansas program contemplates
also a shortening Of the state ballot
in conformity with the same philoso-
ply. In Kansas in the last election.
10000 people voted upon nothing but
presidential electors; many thousands
voted for presidential electors and the
governor and then quit The clerical
officers elected for the state govern
ment ran far behind the heads of the
ticket. Why? Because the people
did not know the candidates for the
clerical positions. They were not in
terested in them. The new program
proposes 10 eliminate all clerical po-
siti1ns and elect the governor OF the
state and the members OF the SUI
premc court and give the governor
the power Of choosing the heads OF
The other departments This will not
only present more concise obliga-
.ion on the part Of the governor. Il
viii save money Under the present
law the secretary OF state IN states y
ike Kansas. gets $1,000 a year but
me work generally is done by a ST.
500 deputy Putting the office upon
. proper clerical basis prevents this
waste and gets us clerical service for
he salary.
The system OF service viii begin
where the deputies now do the work.