The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-30
publicity agent, and w. R. Smith, at
torney for the road.
At Chamber of Commerce.

publicity agent, and w. R. Smith, at
torney for the road.
At Chamber of Commerce.
Declaring the present system of
county government wasteful, ineffi-
Gent and demoralizing, Walker D.
Hines, chairman of the board of di-
rectors of the Santa Fe railway, speak
ing before the Topeka Chamber of
Commerce today, urged adoption of
either the commission or manager
plan and, thru consolidation, reduc-
ton in the number of county officials.
MI Hines asserted the present system
is, in fact, demora1zing that al
, most any change anybody could think
of would be for the better He said
one officer should ne charged with en-
forcing all the laws of the county and
another given the responsibility of
transacting all business affairs. That
to reach a point where officials would
become more efficient and the public
would be the habit of expecting things
done right
The Santa Fe director said he be-
l1eved government would be more eff
ficient if officials were given a longer
term in office subject to recall. He
placed the number of elective county
officers for the best results in each
county at two, three or four. This, he
said, would make responsibility more
concentrated and impossible to avoid
begetting an efficient service to the
public
Today was not the first time Mr.
Hines has appeared before a body of
men in Topeka and advocated better
government. Four years ago he ad-
dressed the Kansas State b. associa-
ton and expressed revolutionary
ideas about state government, his con-
clusions approaching commission form
of state government which Governor
Hodges afterwards advocated.
Government Better Here
LAS far as I can see,'' Mr.. Hines
said, very little attention has been
paid to the defects in our scheme of
county government until within the
last few years. 1 believe it has re-
ceived more attention here in Kansas
than anywhere else.
But even here I believe further
emphasis will be justified. I am hop
ing that Kansas will adopt a reform
which will serve as a model to be fol-
lowed thruout the country.
Officers Are Idle.
Let us look at the ordinary form
of county government. AS look back
over my observations of county Off
GERS their most striking characteristic
has been their idleness. 1 can recall
only rare instances of having seen a
county officer at work, except when
he was out soliciting votes for re-
election. The general impression that
who gets anywhere from $4,000 to
$4,000 year, or perhaps more. and
who selects one or more deputies, or
clerks, at perhaps $50 or SIS per
month, who do the work. This i'm
preston gives rise in my mind to
very strong suspicion that the average
which creates many more officers
than it needs, and that, in the aggre-
gate, there must be tremendous
waste in paying an army of county
officers large sums of money for work
which. in fact, is done by deputies
and clerks.
Nor do L think the system can be
defended on the ground that the coun-
ty officer is needed to furnish the
FRAMEWORK, because there is exceed
ingly little brain work that the aver
age county officer is ever called upon
to do. The duties are almost wholly
routine.
This idleness is not a reflection on
the gentlemen who held these offices.
1t is the necessary result of a system
which cerateS many more officers
than the work requires, and which
provides officers to do work which is
almost entirely clerical
Il believe you will all agree with
me that there is room for valuable
reform in this matter of county gov
eminent, and 1 therefore ask you to
consider with me what the troubles
are and whether any remedies are
practicable.
Two Glasses of Work.
I'm order to look into the matter
further, let us bear in mind that the
work done by the county government
would fall into two classes: First,
the enforcement of the law; and sec
ond, the carrying on of the business
affairs of the county.
I'm connection with the enforcement
of the law, we have a county attorney,
and a sheriff, and a coroner, and fire.
quently other county officers, and then
in hn r1n 9
of the county we have conSta bles. 1
have never come into intimate contact
with any scheme of county govern
ment where anybody seemed to have a
complete responsibility for enforcing
the law. But we always find a large
number of people who have an incom-
plete responsibility for it's enforce
ment. If the law is not enforced, the
people cannot definitely fix the blame,
and every officer connected with law
enforcement can find some good eX-
cuse to put the blame off of his own
shoulders. In many states an addi-
tional feature of law enforcement is
the grand jury and the grand jury is
a fine place in which to sink all re-
sponsibility, because, if the grand jury
fails to indict for violating the law, no
body on earth can fix the blame for
the failure to punish the violation.
Avoid Responsibility.
Certainly in the matter of enforce
ment of the law, we get small results
from a large army of officers who are
maintained at heavy expense, and we
get a scheme of responsibility spit up
to a point where the public ceases to
expect official law enforcement, ex-
cept as to particular matters concern
ing which local public sentiment may
be greatly aroused.
LAS to the ordinary business matters
of the county government, / take it
that it is the duty of the county to pro-
mote education, provide humane and
helpful care of paupers, supervision of
guardians and of administrators of es-
tates of deceased persons, to provide
for the registration of deeds, to provide
safe and sanitary Jail, to provide