Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-12-26
WHAT MIR. DEvoE PROPOSES

There is some merit in Assemblymane elect DeVoes plan for
keeping down municipal and county expenses. He proposes to
introduce a bill during the coming session of the legislature making
IL a misdemeanor for any municipal or county government to in
crease the budget unless the proposed increase is first approved
BIZ the voters. Mr.. Devoe also takes a rap at the so-called "frils
and faneies' in our present educational system, declaring that
stsrs is sntrey too much money spent on education in this state
for the amount of training in the fundamentals that the child
receives.
As far as his budget proposition is concerned, the first thought
that comes to one is the lack of faith and confidence it shows
a The peoples own chosen representatives. 1t is getting further
and further away from the representative form of government.
In other words, we are electing men to manage our public affairs
whom we consider not capable of running the government. We
ass afraid to trust them. We are demanding more and more
Tsrislaticn to curtail their powers and limit their activities.
} After all, does not the fault lie with the people' Is not this
proposed legislation on the part of Assemblyman-elect DeVoe an
Indictment against the kind of men the voters have elected to
ofieef Does it not indicate a lack Of confidence IN the ability OF
The men to perform the work for which they were electedG But
4 we haven't confidence in the men to do the work, why do we
saect themi
The answer to MI. Dsvoe's bill is, then, why not choose high
class men to run the municipal and county government so that t
Win not be necessary to pass laws that will tie their hands and
limit their activities' What is the good of the people choosing
lnen to run the government if the people have to run it themselves
After the men are electedf
4 Again, to carry out MI. DEVICES idea it would be necessary
Esthsr to have a special election the first of each year to pass on
The proposed budget, should there be an increase, or the budget
would have to be made up early in the fall so as to be passed upon
by the voters at the general election. In the latter event there
would have to be a radical change in handling municipal affairs,
and should there be a special election there would be considerable
expense involved to hold the election and it is doubtful if the peo
Die would show a great deal of interest, anyway.
In the matter of education, Mr.. DeVoe gets down to real hard
common sense. There is no doubt that a great many "frlns" have
erept into our educational system in recent years until today the
children hardly have time to learn thoroughly the fundamentals
1t is all well enough to train the child in the way it is most natur
ally bent, but every child ought to have a good common school
education in reading, writing and arithmetic whether he is going
to be a carpenter, a printer, an artist, a cook, a seamstress "a pro-
fessional or a business man.
The sentiment is growing in this matter. The hours are too
short now for all that the authorities want to crowd into a school
day. Drawing, sewing, cooking, manual training and the like are
all well enough in their way, but the reading, writing and arlth-
metic, not to omit spelling, ought not to be neglected IN order to
get any of these extras" in.
MI. DeVoe has had considerable experience in legislation and
he has fathered several important measures concerning the public
schools. he has a big field and a great opportunity. Let him go
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