Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1916-09-01
EDITOR ROBERTSON
PLEADS FOR A new
CONSTITUTION
Continued from page u

people would know it, and they would
know whom to hold responsible.
There is nothing new or untried
about the budget. Every democratic
government in the world but ours
uses it. So long as our people do not
adopt it and use it they deliberately
deprive themselves of their right to
know what is going on in their state
houses and their court houses. They
deliberately avoid the use of the one
instrument of efficiency which will
enable them to get value received for
the taxes they pay. Until they do
put in office, will be responsible for
the extravaganza and mismanage-
ment about which they complain.
The principle of the short ballot
should be incorporated in our county
and state systems. The virtue Of the
short ballot plan is twofold. 1t CEN
tralizes authority and responsibility
and it simplifies politics to such an
extent that the people can understand
them as we'll as the politicians. There
is no reason-no good reason which
appeals to the citizen who merely
wants to get the public business Of
his community done-why there should
be two or three dozen elective and
Independent officers chosen to con-
duct the public business. Also there
is no good reason why the humble
citizen should be compelled to select
of whom lie knows little or nothing.
The shcri ballot will supplement the
direct primary, and the way to
strengthen the primary is not to go
back to the convention system, but
to go forward to the short ballot
County affairs in this state and
throughout the country are managed
by the only institution Of government
men have ever created which is alb
solutely headless. A constitutional
convention should provide for respon-
sible county government. 1t should
provide for responsible county gov
eminent. 1t should establish the COM
missionemanager system for the
counties which the people would have
the option of taking. One half Of
our taxes in this country goes for
conducting county affairs. We ought
to have an efficient county system.
The state of New Jersey saved $780,
900 the first year after it put in a
purchasing system. This state should
have one, and it ought to extend to
the counties. In Ohio, under the new
constitution, all assessors are under
state control. They ought to be so
controlled here, and the fixing of val
uations for purposes of taxation ought
to be in the hands of experts. This
highly important work is now too
often entrusted to political friends of
assessors who have no qualifications
for it. The state should have the
benefit of su"I. other competent work
men as it might secure through a
civil service system,
! Though I speak 81 this matter be.
fore an audience of lawyers with some
hesitation, think our judicial sys-
TEN should be remedied. The high
cost of settling up estates of deceas-
ed persons Of which many people
complain is. am inclined to believe,
Inherent in Our system. A court
should be created which would relieve
the superior court of all probate mat
tiers, and all matters relating to in
sanity cases, guardianships, widows
pensions, juvenile cases, the estates
of insane persons, and so on. AS
our supreme court has to be constant
ly enlarged, and now consists of two
departments, which are virtually two
courts, l think l would reduce its
membership and create an intermed-
late court below it and above the
superior court. 1t is at once apparent
that, though this plan would increase
the number Of our courts OF record,
jurisdiction might be so divided that
fewer tribunals would be necessary
and the process of much litigation
might be facilitated.
Our judges should have longer
terms and they should be still farther
removed from political and all other
eXtraneous influences. We have had
some most excellent men on our
bench in this state, but l think it
is safe to say here that our hand
shaking system of choosing our
judges cannot be depended on to pro-
vide us with a bench representative
of the best talent of the bar. 1t is
not necessary that judges be appoint
ed, but | think it is feasible to try to
work out better elective plan than
we now have.
l am not believer in the judicial
recall, but some better provision for
getting rid of an unsatisfactory judge
than we now have should be provided.
The business management of the
higher educational institutions of the
state should be in the hands of state
board. That is impossible without an
amendment of the constitution. I'm.
til such a change is made higher edu-
cation will continue to be matter
of pork, and local interests will
coptinua RI interfere i'm various WAYS