Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-08-31
FARMERS WILL NOT PAY FOR CHANCEOF
PUBLIC SERVANTS WHEN One PRROVESN NO
MORE EFFICIENT THAN ANOTHER, DECLARES
JUSTICE j. /. ROBINSON In TIP TO LEAGUE
lRx Justice j. E. Robinson.l

(By Justice j. e. Robinson.)
There. can be no great civic reform
until we devise some means of max
ing public servants as faithful and
efficient as those who serve the big
corporations. There can be no argu-
ment for extending the public bust
ness until it is done with as much
efficiency as private business. That is
a pointer for the Nonpartisan league.
The chances are 10 to L that the
league will carry the next election, but
the farmers will not continue to pay
for organizing merely to obtain a
change of public servants when the
one proves no more efficient than the
other.
1 note that our good Nonpartisan
governor is giving lawn parties after
the I'M of julius Casar. 1t must
be that he is thinking of crossing the
Rubicon or of the election mex year.
1 wish he were to write some letters
and to show how he is doing his duty
better than any other governor. 1
wish he were to think Of keeping tab
on our public servants and making
them more efficient. They seem to
think, some of them do, that they
have a perfect right to go and come
as they please and to draw pay for
doing work which they leave undone.
Once upon a time the Populist
party sailed into office on a tidal wave
Of reform, and of course 1 vas with
them. But they made no reforms,
they followed strictly in the footsteps
of the old liners, counting IN a second
and a third term in office, and one
term finished their inglorious career.
The people soon grow tired and dis
oy,cfoH yyhpn sthnu. o1oOfs fn Nff3on q 1of
of reformers who make no attempt to
reform anything. At the last general
election the Nonpartisan league, under
the able leadership of General Town
ley and his Big Five won a great vic
tory. The campaign was well organ
lied and ably conducted and it was
based on q thousand assurances Of
much needed reforms. These nave
not yet been made manifest, but GER
tain 1t is that within a short period
the league must deliver the goods or
go the way of the Populist party. The
people look for good efficient public
service, a reduction of taxes and sub
stantial benefits amounting to millions
of dollars. The poole who ask for
bread must not be given a stone. A
good tree must bring forth good fruit.
BY their fruits We shall know them.
1t is true that in matters Of legisla-
ton and constitution making the
league has had an excuse. It met the
determined and skillful opposition Of
the old liners and it showed no tact
or skill in con%ciliating them or in law
making. To make a few amendments
to the constitution a bill was pre-
sented containing the amendments
and the entire constitution. That was
House Bill "A. It contained At large
printed pages in which the amend
ments were like a needle in a hay
stack. While this bill had no emery
ency clause, 1t provided for the SUBJ
mission of the same to a vote at a
special election to be held in June,
1917. Now as a bill without an
emergency clause a have no force or
effect until the following July, this
1t had received every vote in the house
and in the senate.
There are only two ways Of amend
ing the constitution. One is the way
specified in the constitution itself and
the other is by way Of a constitutional
convention, he way by which the
constitution was framed and adopted.
BY a majority in each house the legis-
lature might have passed a valid act
providing for an election Of delegates
to a constitutional convention at any
time after the first day of July, but
not In June. Such Al act may still be
passed were the governor to convene
q special session of the legislature
during the coming autumn or winter.
That would give time for a special
election next July and the submission
OF amendments at the next general
election. Hope deferred maketh the
heart sad. If by amending the consti-
tuuon the people can reap q benefit
OF 40 or SO million dollars a year, the
sooner it is done the better.
There should be an amendment to
require every public servant to give a
monthly account Of his work before
receiving his monthly stipend and to
decapitate every one who fails to do
his duty.
n week I am as blue as jeremiah
the Prophet. During the present year
most or our judges have been six
eel absent from their post of duty.
During the past two weeks we have
done nothing. One judge is Off to New
fork; one at Chicago; one on the ex-
empuon oar We have 25 cases
which were submitted months ago
n they are still undecided. We
nave q system of doing business which
doubles our work. In many cases we
near arguments but make no decision
Until the arguments are forgotten.
n when at last the decision is made'
we hold it up for 20 days AWAITING
q motion for rehearing which comes
as a matter Of course. Then we 20
all over the case again and hold It I'm
for another few months and so we
keep on the treadmill. Some time
after h argument of a case 1t is as
signed to n Of the judges to Civ
1t special consideration and to form1,-
late and write a decision. And
though all judges have not the same
FACILITY in examining and anaIyzine
records, yet by courtesy the same
number OF cases are assigned to each
one. The result is that one Judge
may be loaded down with work while
another sits for weeks with nothine
TO DO. Thus we double our work by
lack OF system and by going over the
same drudgery aeain and again.
Following the woeful habit Of lad
ing men with burdens ~grievous to be
borne we write long wfnded decisions
81 70, 80 or 40 pages, regardless 81
the cost OF transcribing, booking and
publishing the same amounting IA
9 $40 a page. BY actual count
Of words DUR court decisions arr