Evening star., 1927-10-09

y
than half a million stock
Il holders, naturally are busy
men.
They have little time to twidiie
their thumbs, even if they happen to
he the autocratic type of business
executives. whose Offices are sanctu-
aries beyond whose doors only o sc.
lected group of initiates dares VEN
ture. But when they keep their doors
open TO the tickle, muddle headed pub
lie, life becomes such a constant sue
cession of duties and annoyances that
only exceptionally strong men can
endure the nervous and mental strain
very long,
Such is the situation of the three
Commissioners of the District of CO.
lumbia, upon whose shoulders rests
the executive responsibility of the
local government. Day after day they
have profound and intricate problems
t. consider. They must work out
questions in the mathematical maEcs
al the science of taxation. They must
Keep abreast of the most advanced
current opinion. continually shifting,
on police administration and public
welfare. They must steer an even
keel through the difficult waters OF
fiscal relationships, engineering enter
priSas and public building. And, be-
sides. they must devote their brains
to hundreds of petty veXations which
never would be brought to the atten-
tion of the ordinary business executive.
These three men, Proctor l.. Dough-
crty. Sidney F. Taliaferro and Col.
William IS Ladue, might be, il they
wished. autocratic executives. Their
positions do not depend, to any great
extent. on the favor of the stock
hnl,1arS in, fl1iS hiIS tho Nl,h1in
They need not be concerned with the
favor OF dislike of city politicians. The
single criterion of their work which
they need to keep in mind is that of
efficiency. They owe their appoint
Inents to the President of the United
States and are responsible only to the
chief Executive and to Congress.
They do not need to render any ac-
counting to the people directly. The
citizens have, at the best, only an in
direct control.
They do. nevertheless, concern
themselves with the wants and rights
of the citizens. They have taken this
attitude because they have, firmly inn
planted in them. a service conscience. |
This conscience which goaGS them !
continually to determine the desires |
Of the people. to keep in touch with
currents of popular opinion, and to |
spend long hours delving into prob |
lens of neighborhood justice, is re.
sponsible for the greater proportion |
Of their difficulties. They assume a |
far greater burden than they are |
obliged to carry simply because there |
is a tradition of duty connected with |
their offices which they are deter
mined to uphold.
Theoretically the commission form of |
city government should be consider
ably more efficient than government |
by elected officials, with the inevitable
petty graft and shady pcntics which
attend the latter. But critics of this
superior system sometimes advance
one grave objection-it is too efficient.
1t is efficient, they say, as a machine
is efficient. There is no sympathetic
personal touch. The human element
is reduced to minimum. Govern.
ment becomes an automaton instead
of u redhloodcd creature.
Under some conditions, doubtless,
this objection could be sustained. But
the District of Columbia officials are
open to no such criticism. No elected
mayor ever is more accessible than
these three gentlemen who keep the
doors of their offices open at all hours.
Often the board is forced from the
position of a thinking. governing ma
chine into a waste basket OF conl-
plants and trivialities. For no citizen |
of the District of Columbia is too
humble or-Which is more to the point ]
too silly to be refused an interview {
with the District Commissioners il he
has the vestige of an excuse. Il
In all of their decisions they have |
the human element to consider. Eff {
cheney may dictate. for instance. that
some street be rezoned into business
thoroughfare. But how about the old
couple who have lived in a particular
block ever since the Civil War, to
whom it has become home, and who
would be grieved deeply by the
change? They stand in the path of
progress-but progress is not every
thing. 1t is such problems which con.
tinually are coming before the execu-
tives of the National Capital.
y Y X
EEw cities in the world have a more
efficient local government than
Washington. But humanity has not
been sacrificed for efficiency. 1t is a
bit hard on the Commissioners, but
they have decided among themselves
that their duty consists OF more than
is prescribed in the oath of Office. The
very act of accepting their appoint
ments, they believe, puts them in the
debt Of the people Of the District.
From year TO year the uutleS grow
heavier. The Commissioners Of most
administrations have kept their doors
open to the public. But the lines OF
those waiting to consult them have
grown longer and longer until now
the incumbent in the Office has few
spare moments in office hours to de-
vote to the deeper problems OF city
government. He must wrestle with
these after hours-possibly in the Sc
clusion of his own home.
Commissioner Dougherty, for in
stance, comes to his Office at . am.