The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-01-27

same way, and the Clerk of our
Court OF Appeals named either by
he Governor or preferably by the
Judges themselves.
/ say that the people are asked to
do today what in the nature of |
things cannot be effectively done by
them. The Attorney General, the
Comptroller and the Treasurer may
find themselves entirely out of SYM
pathy with the Governor. approach
ing public questions from a different
angle, and ready to hamper him in
the exercise of his most essential
functions. This situation has arisen
at times in the past and it may well
again in the future, varying terms of
office and manner of election con-
tributing to irresponsibility. These
officers now form no part OF a har
monious whole. No theory of checks
and balances justifies their choice by
election as the relative success of our
national administration shows.
When we turn to our county gov
ernments we find the people called
upon TO elect Boards of County Com
missioners, running from three to
six in number, Judges of the Or
phans' Court, Judges, State Senators,
two to six members of the Lower
House, County Surveyor. Clerk of
the Circuit Court, Register of Wills,
States Attorney, Sheriff, in many
counties Road Commissioners, in one
a wreckmaster, and possibly other
officers. Every other year, there
fore, the County Elector is expected
to vote for fifteen or twenty officers,
making his choice among thirty or
forty different men; of the qualifica
lions of three-fourths OF whom the
average voter knows nothing, often
cares less, and accepts his party la
bel. To call such government popu-
lar is to make a mockery of the
word.
While the individual voter in
county ought to be able to know
something of the qualifications by
repute at least of a member of the
legislature who expresses the poll
cies the people desire carried into
law and something as to the county
commissioners who are the chief eX-
ecutive officers of the county and
should be made such in the fullest
possible sense, he knows nothing as
4 rule with regard to the candidates
for the other officers and is not so
placed that he may fairly judge with
regard to them. He has to take
largely on faith the candidates for
States Attorney. Still greater faith
and ignorance must be displayed in
, selecting the Sheriff, Judges of the
Orphans Court. and County Survey
or and Road Commissioners. When
we speak, therefore, of the break
down of popular government in an
administrative sense, we have in the
backs of our heads the fact, though
we may not realize it, that the peo-
pie are undertaking to do things it
is physical and moral impossibili-
ty they should perform. They act as
Civil Service Board upon the
choice of men whom they have large
ly never seen and of whose qualifi-
cations they have no knowledge and
possess no means of testing. Il .
In some States thew is offered
a meager assistance through the.
circulation by the State of campaign
pamphlets in which each candidate
may set forth what he assumes to
be his qualifications, but even this
we must agree is Ineffective.
At this point comes in the machine
to relieve the voter of his troubles
and select his candidate. With the
multiplicity of offices to be filed by
the people the machine serves an in
dispensable purpose, whether it's
work is well or badly done. The
people must turn to those who make
study Of the situation; know some
thing of the personnel of those de-
string election and who will judge
for them. They accept their judg-
ment. particularly in those respsctS
i which l 1 He aeSllaR -! sa:is %
interest. The power to exercise this
judgment for the people in an effec-
tive way, has an immediate cash
value to the machine. 1t has some
thing to give and can levy eontribu-
tions upon those seeking Offices,
while its control over the workers
makes its support valuable. Thus, |;
under the very shadow Of the consti- !
tuition and because of its provisions, !
there grows up a body which under !
takes to do the work for the people
which the people themselves have
not the knowledge or the opportuni-
ty to do. The details of the changes !
needed and the consequences to flow
from them, deserve further consid-
Grafton. /!
;. ;. JACKSON H. RALsTON. |
Hyattsville, Md, Jan. Is.