The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1917-02-08
An Open Letter to the Legs
lature and the People.
re. C.. Dow If Belfast, in the Maine Farmer
of Jan. 25th.l

Sixteen wears ago, the Legislature OF
this State, after a long and exhaustive
INQUIRY into conditions as they existed at
that time, passed al act eiea.is Tue
cffic- or commissioner of agriculture.
..t,ohsoiny the board of agriculture
AL. =. T.. ,ffice of secretary. Ii was feIt
at t.,a, INN. that such a course would be
best for the interests OF the farm anu
the State.
Since then the powers and duties OF the
commissioner have been added to and en-
larged. until he has become in several
ways Inc most important officer Of the
State. As an executive OF law, his
power is great, and covers large num-
Der of different things, some OF which
are important, while others may be OF
questionable value.
The posItion now needs man of good
executive ability as well as general
knowledge of farming and its needs.
Such a man it is never hard to find for
position carving the honor and the salary
now paid to the commissioner of agrl-
culture.
1t is not claimed, at least openly, tina,
the legislature has failed to elect good
men to that office; but the claim is made
that politics enter too much into his Sc
lection.
That may be true, or it may not.
Whether true or not, one thing should be
borne in mind-gOod politics give good
results, while bad politics give bad re-
suits. Any one of several things could
| easily be worse than party election Of
our commissioner of agriculture.
For tie past four years, there has
been demand on the part of few men
that the method of election now in vogue
be done away with, and there be substi-
tuted some method that will place the
power of choice In the hands of a few
men.
| Recently these men have met in pri-
vale session and made their arrange
ments TO have Dill of their own making
pushed through tie present legislature.
| In effect, they will ask the legislature
to give up its right of electing the COM
missioner, and o.,.e ste it to seven men
six to be appointed by the governor,
ana the other W be the dean of the Col
lege OF Agriculture, who will be an ex-
officlo member and chairman. These
seven men are to be known as the State
board OF agriculture.
grant to these men the most honest
and loyal intentions possible. l do not
imagine there is any soreness over past
differences between them and some for
mer official; their motive is doubtless an
impersonai one, and their whole wish is
10 serve the farm interests of the State.
While the woodpile is large enough to
hide full-grown man, l don't imagine
there is ''nigger" in it. Enough to say,
these men mean well, but they are mis-
| taken.
Ii the old board of agriculture had out
lived its useiulness-a | think it had
what better work could be expected from
seven men appointed by the governor
than we used to get from the old board,
elected by the agricultural societies of
the several counties?
| Is not this an attempt to get the Office
still farther from the people-to put it
where few men could dictate the policy
of the commissioner, and, when he failed
to please even four or seven. remove him
from Office, regardless of the value of
his work to the State?
Would the governor find-could he find
men better fitted for selecting com
missioner than the members of the legls-
lature? If he could and did, would it be
non partisan act or still more con-
ceptrated political move?
The proposed law is weak at it's head
bad place for weakness. 1t presup
poses that the Legislature is incompetent,
which nobody believes after election,
and that they are more anxious to serve
politics than they are to look after the
interests of the people. The idea of
making the dean of the college the head
OF the board, is wrong in principle ana
vicious in policy. There are some things
u, v1Rh h1, n l,,t,.
the commissioner. For that reason
election, or policy, of the commissioner.
condemn the proposed bill If it had no
other fault.
l can see no possible reason why we
81 ould return to board of agriculture,
which would benefit none except the men
who happened to be appointed as mem
bers. Ii a change were desirable, il
would be much better and much more
simple, less liable to abuse, to have the
commissioner appointed by the governor.
There are some good reasons for such an
act as that, but fail to see the benefi,
OF those sevel men to act as ''go-be-
tween"
One other point | note-the commits
sioner, however elected, should be elect
ed Tor stated term and not during the
pleasure of any set of men. Two years
is sufficiently long term, and it will be
much better tor everybody when We
wake up to the fact that TWO terms is
enough TOR any man, no matter nov
good he may be. New personalities
count. There is always material enough
Put in new man every two or four
years and get the clean sweep that is
supposed to go with new broom.
Mr.. Rogers idea, which was also ad-
vocated by Commissioner Guptill, of
having the commissioner elected by the
people, is good and worthy of serious
thought. Ii it were not for the fact
that our elections are SO cumbersome
and expensive, think that l should be
IN favor of that method.
Let 1t be borne in mind that this is
matter belonging to the whole people
and not to any one class alone, and the
reasons for popular election crowd
home on the question with a great deal
of force. We will probably come to
that soon, but not just yet.
Having had good results from the law
as 1t now stands, and having just elected
commissioner who has proved his
worth by former work in the place, why
not remember and act upon the old max
i'm of when well enough is we'll enough,
let we'll enough alone"
All channo ic