The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-01-26
Government VS.. Business.
est. Adams Messenger


''Govenor Graham wants to run the
state as corporation. Well, that
may be the right way. but some don I
think SO. We believe it is wrong to
run the state as a corporation, espc-
cially on the baser sense of making
money. State governments and civic
affairs should be run on the greater and
better sense of having important things
well done. Island Pond Herald.
The contemporary agrees with Gov
ernor Graham without knowing it. IT
wants the state run on a basis that
will make for the having Of important
things well done That is exactly what
Governor Graham wants; that is exact
/ ~ what he means when he saws that
| the state can find much of value in the
efficiency that characterizes the conduct
4 of business by a successful corporation.
/ The contemporary IS miles off the
target if it thinks that Governor Ora
/ ham, or anyone else who is supporting
! his program. thinks that Vermont can
/ he organized so efficiently rs to be-
come a money making corporation. 1t
is difficult to characterize such sug-
gestion without using such blunt Ian
guagc that one refrains from making
the attempt.
The administration Of government diff
fers from ordinary business in that
business has TO make the money which
it viii spend, while government takes
the money virtually by force and
spends it a. it wills. The check on
spending in business is the limit of pow
or to make money; the check on spend
ing IN government is the limit of power
to assess taxes without crippling the
people or actually entering the realm
of contiseation.
When money comes easily. and with
out its being necessary to use brains
in its creation, the tendency to spend
freely and with little regard to efficiency
or economy is very marked. A good
example is the spendthrift son or daugh
ter who inherits great wealth after
never having been made to realize the
value of dollar.
Governments don t have to labor OF
plan to make money in the same sens,
as do corporations. They decree thai
they must have so much money Il
spend and the tax collectors do the rest
1t comes easy; the temptation is to LEI
it 20 easily, the natural temptation Il
much regard to the necessity or to TIL,
adequacy of the results obtained
When Governor Graham saws that h
wants to run the state as q corporation
he simply means that he wants tn,
state to exercise the same caution il
the spending as would a corporation
which, by having TO earn it, knows tn,
value of the money which it spends. II,
: wants the state to get value returned
, for it's dollar, just as the successful cor
Iporation does. He wants state business
conducted i'll such a way that waste
and duplicated effort will be eliminated
Just as 1t is in 4 corporation that is eff
fectivelv managed.
r In brief, he wants things done well
done the best they can be done unde
the circumstances. And that is JUS
what the contemporary wants. There
fore, the contemporary and Govemo
o Graham occupy exactly the same ground
: The Messenger believes that whateye
opposition there is to the general theor,
of the Graham recommendations wOul
n disappear if the directors would analyz
the situation thoroughly and refrai
from snap judgment. Can The Heral
'irefrain from admitting that this apple
IN its own casee