The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-02-25
''7he Short Ballot" Good Government Association Acclaims System as Assuring Ideal Democratic Form of Govern ment Contrast With Long Ballot Shown

Explanation of the short ballot" features the second in a series of issued by the Good Govern ment Association in its campaign to enlist interest here in the City Manager Plan.
 The Short Ballot, Which Makes
 Democracy 'Democ."
 The short ballot is one of the devices which makes the manager plan the most democratic form of local government.
 It is based on the principle that the number of different offices to be filled at any election shall be very few. It does not imply that there shall not be many candi- dates for an office, but the num- Der of officials voted for shall be few. If ten candidates run for one office and another ten run for an- other office, then that is short ballot even though 1t has twenty names on 1t. But if there are six offices to be filled and three can- didates run for each, that is long ballot even though it has two less names than the first ballot.
 But why should we have a short ballot? Do we not achieve dem- ocracy when the people elect all their officers? The answer is-no!
 Richard s. Childs, the founder of the short ballot movement and the first man to advocate the city manager plan, summarizes the reasons why the short ballot is a surer way of achieving democracy than the long ballot:
 First, tn long ballot submits to the voters offices which are too unimportant to attract or deserve public attention. such as con- stables, city sheriff, library agents, etc.
 Second. it submits to election so many offices at one time that many of them are inevitably crowded out of proper public att tention.
 Third, to submit to election so many offices at one time makes the voters business too hard if he wishes to pick out a ticket of his own. Therefore some sort of po- litical organization becomes al- most necessary to present @ ticket ready-made: this tends to be one which benefits the party that offers 1t rather than the person that votes 1t.
 When many officials are elect ed at one time without chance for adequate scrutiny by each voter of both the requirements for each office and the qualifications of each candidate. then the makers of a party ticket acquire an advantage which is capable of great abuse.
 Giving the Voter . Chance
 What does the short ballot do to remedy this situation? First, 1t presents for the voters attention only that office which is the most important. Naturally, the legisla- tive body, or city council, is the most important of all. Second, by electing only the members of council, 1t permits more thorough knowledge of what this office calls for and better scrutiny of the can- didates for this office.
 The moment Q ballot is so long that the voter requires e ready made ticket in order to exercise the franchise without tremendous labor, then the so-called peoples choice" becomes in reality the choice of the ticket makersl Where is democracy in that? The essence of democracy is not the right to be a rubber stamp. It is to make real choice.
 A favorite objection to the short ballot, much repeated by dema- gogues. is that If only a few ofiices are voted for, then these in turn have too much appointive power the surface thinker refers to them as tyrants and dictators. But under the long ballot system 1t is the political boss who really does the appointing of the candidates for the elective offices and the boss does not carry responsibility for their acts. If they are venal or incompetent, he always offers the excuse. they were elected by the people"
 Therefore 1t is much better to put the appointive power in the hands of a city manager chosen by a few elected officials who, be. cause they are few, can be watch- ed, and because they are elected, can be reached at the next elec- ton.