Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-05-29
THE WEAKNESS OF COMMISSION GOVERNMENT

Denver, Colorado city approximately the size of
Portland having tried the commission form Of govern
ment for four years abandoned it almost unanimously at
recent election The reason was that it cost than
the old kind Of rule and gave less results The same seems
to be true of Portland and may be expected that In the
future the Oregon metropolis will either go back to
the old style of city government make radical
changes in the present form.
Commenting on it the Oregonian calls it "headless"
government and points out the why it is mere
costly and less satisfactory Among these reasons it gives
one which also lies behind almost all the departments of
city, state and county government not only in Oregon but
in all the states and also in the general government
That is the tendency for each department public IN
sttuton to magnify its Importance, and to extend Its
utilities.
The fish and game commission, for instance, would
keep adding to the things it organized to do branch
ing out as experience showed where something might be
done to better protect game adding new birds new ami
mails and new men to look after them.
The state fair board naturally wants to make good
showing and acting in perfect good faith adds this and
that to the attractions of the state fair The railroad
commission established to regulate railroad traffic. sug
gested the regulating of other public utilities and this was
done to such an extent that the of the COM
mission was changed to make it fit.
The Oregon agricultural college established for the
purpose of advancing that industry has been added to u
til there are many other things in the curriculum that
the name is misnomer
Our public school system follows along in the same
lines Not many years ago the fundamentals alone were
taught Reading, writing arithmetic and above all spell
ing was about all there was to it. Now we have Latin and
Greek German, music arithmetic and even teacher to
show the youngsters how to play.
We have small army of special game officers and ap
paratus for taking pictures of beast and bird part Of
the game protection barnch of state government
These things did not all at once like the measles
but the gradual growth due to the tendency of each
department or institution to consider itself the most i'm
portant branch of government and entitled to generous
support.
This is not said in the way Of fault finding with things
they exist If the people want this kind of thing and
willing to pay for it, that settles it. 1t is merely sugges
ton as to the evils that necessarily fasten themselves
any form of public utility that being law unto itself is
far supervision by he state is concerned, head
less" 1t is what makes the commission form of govern
ment unsatisfactory to cities and what makes the COM
mission way of running the states affairs an in
creasing expense.
The commissioners are honest and generally capable,
but they act without regard to the other state affairs and
have their horizon bounded by the reach of their work
They naturally think their work state necessity above
all others, and cannot why the other commissions
should also be provided for until everything they need orr
think they need, has been supplied
Oregon has dozens of commissions and boards, each
having head but the combination of all of them head
less.
The subject recalls story in the old readers of so orr
GO years ago The word "AcephaOus" was given in the
spelling lesson and in those days the spelling done
orally and the definitions also required to follow the
spelling of the words The yOungster who got the word
to spell had not paid strict attention to where quit and
the definition began and the result this "A-c-eph
aceph louise without head" That is what is the mat
ter with the commission form Of running public business