Abilene weekly reflector., 1922-01-19
THURSDAY, JANUARY 10. ls2:
THE STATE A BUSINESS

Fifteen or twenty candidates for
governor Of Kansas are In the neid
and are putting forth their platforms.
All have one theme--that they are
for lower taxes, except one who
thinks he can reform the business
world by having the government nx
the price Of wheat and another who
has some sort Of dream Of issuing all
the money necessary with the pro-
'ducts OF the country as security.
The candidates who promise lower
taxes have few definite ideas as how
It is to be done. One wants to re-
wise the assessment laws to distribute
the taxes differently, which does not
touch the matter Of expense at all |;
others confne their utterances 70
broad, sweeping demands that we
have smaller expense. None OF
these are actually constructive. One
PROMISES that he will not be q can
didate for any other office while ne
IL goyernor-which Is good; another
promises to stay at Topeka on the
tob-which Is good also. But what
the state needs Is a businesslike ar
rangement Of its management to
supplant the haphazard, political
xrab bag that now exists. Instead
Of scramble at the legislature to see
who can get the most for his constit-
uents, how many legislators can iand
iebs ON boards and as inspectors,
what trades can be made to put over
measures carrying appropriations
with every state institution trying
10 see how much 1t can get, Kansas
needs a system that will secure a
dollars worth Of service for a dol
lars worth of taxes. The last iegis-
lature spent large sums for institu-
tion building and with the Schools
prisons and insane, asylums over
flowing, caring for more persons
than in the states history, OF course
romething had to be done. But II
was carried on by the grab bag meth
cd in a rush Of excited legislation
that like most other legislation had
little idea Of just what was being
done by a few leaders.
A state should be managed like
business. The governor should bt
the head of the board Of directors
Affairs of state should be grouped
under eight or ten departments, eacf
with a head to give all his time Il
the Job and stay at Topeka. Undel
these heads should be every activit!
Of the state and each head should
make the budget for his department
The executive council, made up o.
the governor and these heads, coult
carry out state management withou
duplication. There is little sense II
having a business manager at 30,
600 and then three board member
at $500 with an expense acc0un
running into tens Of thousands o
dollars. The spectacle Of two 0
three inspectors in town doing differ
ent things Is q waste Of money an
effort. The duplicating of boards
waste OF money. Two boards, bot
more or less political, are handlin
public utilities and industrial affair
at a cost Of about 100000 a year
enc could do 1t with a fourth tn
expense by a businesslike method
The state schools would be bette
served by boards Of regents made u
Of alumni, serving for small pc
diem, than by a board of three wit
everything from epileptic asylums I
manual training schools under 1t
supervision
A constructive system to eliminat
duplication, budget ready when tn
legislature meets, the council pre-
pared to present 1t on the floor OF tn
house and senate and explain an
defend its demands, intelligent man
agement instead of guesswork--tha
would make sound state government
1t would keep the governor bus
every day in the year right at th
state house. 1t veuld call for rel
service from employees.
What q state, county or city d.
nands h not merely that taxes sha
be low-sometimes they cannot b
low and give the service the peopl
ask and to which they are entities
There Is q right to know that n
every dollar Of taxes the stat
county or city gets a dollars wort
Of service. that public money Is M
wasted, that politics is subordinate
to business, that every activity
managed with business gumptio
and not made joke or sinecur
simply because there Is a pOssibilit
Of putting 1t over. The candidate II
governor who has a constructive pla
for making the states bushes
sound and systematic, with avoit
ance Of duplication and eliminatio
Of waste, Is going to receive the al
proval Of the people-or at least b
should receive It. He does not nee
to be a politician-it would be be
ter IL he were simply plain, SUE
cessful business man, with only tn
ambition to be a governor withol
frills and to serve the state as b
would serve a great business enteI
prise, for its own good and the we
fare Of its people. Kansas runs
hysterical politics and maybe
would not listen, but other states al
listening and this state ought to hay
its business sense awakened to tn
lesson Of the times.
A