Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-21
URGES S|MPL|F|CAT|ON
OF STATE MACHINERY
Richard Evelyn Byrd Says Irrespon-
sible Boards Are Honcycombed
With Politics.
FAvoRs RADICAL CHANGES
Would Ccntralize Power in Hands OF
Governor and Provide for Greater
Publicity in Conduct Of All Public
Affairs.

Governor and Provide for Greater
Publicity in Conduct Of All Public
{ Affairs.
Urging simpliicution of the ma
! chnery for the transaction of the
States business and declaring that 1--WE
will not have reasonably efficient
government in Virginia until we pro-
vide adequate publicity and personal
responsibility for every official act"
Richard Evelyn Byrd, United States
District Attorney for the Western Dis
trict of Virginia. former speaker OF
the House of Delegates, and for many
years prominent figure in Virginia
politics, has made public n statement
| advocating radicall changes in Vir-
Sinia's governmental methods.
The skeleton outline of MIR. Byrd's
plan is as follows:
In a democracy the real government
is public opinion. Therefore govern
ment is good or bad as public opinion
is intelligent and informed. or indif-
ferent and uniformed.
Public opinion can neither be or
ganiZed or effective unless: Cd There
is complete publicity of governmental
processes; CD definite personal and
official responsibility for all govern
mental acts.
Publicity and responsibility can
Publicit" and responsibility can only
he had when the framework of the
government is adapted to such ends
In Virginia. we have neither. be-
cause our political system has been
both.
Virginia is governed by numerous
bureaus whose doings II they are dis
covered at all must be dug out OF
! complicated reports by an expert.
THESE bureaus are practically RESPONSE
Nj.
selected by all sorts of more or less
complex methods
The State officer selected by the peo
pie have very few Individual func
tons to which exclusive and personal
responsibility attaches
GOVERNOR HAS LITTLE
INDIVIDUAL AUTHORITY
me Governor is only in name the
chief executive of the State: outside
OF the veto power he has little indi
vidual authority. On taking Office he
mus the appointees Of his predecessor
n ,,s the numerous state boards.
"heh he goes out he leaves the same
inheritance 10 his successor. For the
larger part of his term every Governor
must rely upon bureaucrats. appointed
by MS predecessor, and who owe the
incumbent neither duty nor gratitude
IS! strange anomaly the Governor
can remove some Of the great officers
smallest bureaucrat
The people elect five great officers of
state-the Governor, the Attorney-Cen.
eral, treasurer, the Secretary of State
ana the superintendent of Public In
S'ruction. OF these. the Governor nos
sesses little real power. The Attorney
General is the law officer Tho Score
tary OF State is mere title and 4, Sin.
cure. The Superintendent of Public In
struction has no independent existence
OF responsibility. but is servant of
the state Board of Education. The
reas is the custodian of the State
tunds. The State is therefore govern
co. not oS It's elected officers, but by
us numerous bureaus. many of them
armed with vast and autocratic nouar
GREAT POWER IN
HANDS OF BOARDS
The control of the public service cor
porations and other Important fnnc
lions Is placed in the hands of three
men. constituting the State CORPORA
tlon Commission. This commission is
WITHIN the limits of State Jurisdiction
the most powerful organ of govern
nent IN any English speaking country
IN .imes OF peace. 1t is endowed with
legislative, judicial and administrative
power to be exercised in the SANE mo
ceedlngs and as TO the same suhiec,
matter
The STATE Board OF Education is en-
powerful. so irresponsible so fearfuIlv
ana wonderfully made. that, TO use the
words OF a noted educator, iii stag
impotence"
outside OF the Corporation coy,p,is
sion and the State Board of Education
there are about forty other boards II
- not possible within any reasonable
lnil 70 anaiyze the functions Of these
ooards II is enough to say that thew
IN cHect are responsible to no one
nei.ner TO the Governor. the General
Assembly nor the people
| GIVES INSTANCES OF
COMPLICATED ISDIREC1ynS
AN instance Of complicated indirec-
| tion is furnished by the creation of
the State Board of Education and ,hs
| library board. The State Roard nj
Education is composed OF: U) the Cow
ernor. the Attorney General and the
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
| Cd three college professors. Nominated
| by the several institutions of learning
| ana elected by the State Senate; (3)
! TWO division superintendents, elected by
three professors and the three elected
officials These eight comno.e ~
| board.
The library board is elected by the
state Board of Education. 1t Is a
| podrn OF board. The powers OF the
constitution of la02 gave AS "A reason
| Tor this hierarchy of boards that il
| would keep out politics. Such methods.
| instead of driving politics out. drove
politics under.
LOT Of POWERFUL, AND
IRRESPONSIBLE BOARDS
The upshot of the whole business is
that we have n lot of powerful and
! Irresponsible boards dominating the adj
illustrative machinery of the State.
who are beyond the reach of popular
control or. indeed. any effective con-
| troll some OF them. such as the De-
! partment OF Education, are honey
combed with subterranean politics. The
people vaguely know that results are
not commensurate with the millions of
money spent, but they do not know