Evening star., 1933-09-10
Selecting Leaders on Merit
Famous Biologists y. S. Plan
DR.. Hall Says Experts
Only Can Give
Competent Rule.
Lifelong Observations
Behind Viewpoint
on Vide Topic.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

Select cabinet officers, members of
Congress, Supreme Court justices. Gov
ernors OF States and mayors of cities by
system analogous to civil service
Such is the proposal of DR.. Maurice
Hall. world famous biologist and chief
of the geological section of the Bureau
Of Animal Husbandry, based on a life
long observation Of affairs of state from
the vantage point of the Government
laboratory.
Under his proposed set-up, the actual
procedure of appointment or election of
high Government officials would be lit
tie changed from that now in effect
except that selections would have to be
made from a limited group who had
passed rigid examinations to test their
fitness. Election to the Senate. for ex-
ample. would not be open to any citizen
with the proper age qualification, but
only to those who had passed a very
stiff test of their qualifications to be
national lawmakers. There would be
maintained in each State list Of ELI
gibles. just as is now maintained by
the Civil Service Commission for lesser
Government jobs.
This would insure. DR.. Hall believes,
government by experts which. he holds,
is the only competent kind of govern
ment. 1t would outlaw the mere dema-
gogue from a place in any of the three
expert, of course. might have dema-
gogic tendencies. but. DR.. Hall insists,
there would at leas be something sub
stantial behind them.
Incompetence Would End.
Such factors as personality. quail
ties of leadership, etc, would have no
standing whatsoever under his system,
except as they operated within the lin
tied groups Generally. he holds. they
only serve as a camouflage for more or
less technical incompetence. II tests
can be devised for a Government geol-
ogist or physicist. he holds. there should
be no trouble evolving suitable ones
for administrative. legislative and judi
cial positions which call for no greater
amount Of skill.
This proposal for a democracy Of ex-
perts appears to Dr. Hall. one of the
most distinguished Of living American
scientists, as about the only way out,
while at the same time preserving the
structure Of democracy. He not only
would set up brain trust but would
limit Government entirely to its men,
bers DR. Hall believes. contrary to the
opinion Of many, that brains are an
asset. rather than a liability in the
Government service, and points to the
efficiency and far-reaching accomplish
ments of the Federal scientific bureaus
to prove his point. There is no place
in his system for the mere executive,
the man who directs a job without be-
ing competent actually to do it.
DR.. Hall sees no need of leadership"
as the term is generally understood.
The only need is the competent per-
Torrance Of the job. whether it be
framing laws or studying a stained sec
ton under a microscope. Under this
system the leader would be the most
competent technician.
In an article to appear in the forth
coming Annals of Social and Political
Sciences. DR.. Hall says:
The entire question Of competent.
effective and honest Government is
basically a question of experts in Gov
eminent and Government by experts.
To-day there is move back to the
ancient usage of dictators as solu-
ton to the problem of efficient or ex-
pert government. The history Of this