Evening star., 1953-11-12
Virginia Cited
In ModerniziinQ
Administration
Stute Is Ahead Of
Many Others, Says
Ex-Gov. Edison
BY WiIIiom A. MiIIen
Stor Stoff CORRESPONDENT

Modernization of Virginia's ad-
ministration won praise yester-
day from Charles Edison. former
Governor of New Jersey and ex-
Secretary of the Navy.
In the closing address to the
National Municipal League, Mr..
Edison urged lnodernization OF
State laws generally. He advo-
Gated a comprehensive, long
range, we'll financed campaign
of education for all citizens to
accomplish better local govern
ment.
With the States taking over
their full responsibilities, he said.
centralized Government in
Washington will diminish. For
America must be strong at home
as well as abroad, he asserted,
with it's institutions flourishing
at the grass roots.
"You people here in Virginia
may not realize that few States
have ever had the substantial
modernization of State admin
istration that you achieved under
the leadership of Gov. Byrd
nearly 20 years ago." he said.
Others Lag.
"You may not realize that
Virginia is the only State in
which every city but one
has the modern, responsible
council-manager plan of gov
ernment. The point am
making is that if, as many of
you have told me, you feel that
government in Virginia has not
kept entirely UP to date, govern
ments in most of the other
States are farther behind the
times and less secure in the con-
f1dence of their own people.
Most State legislatures are so
unwieldly and cumbersome that
they lend themselves much bet
ter to manipulation by profess
sional self-seekers and pressure
groups than to full and orderly
deliberation among the elected
members.
"AS a matter of fact, the un-
representative and often ire
sponsible character of State leg
islatures-South, North, East and
VESTS a major cause of the
popular demands that have re-
suited in new and expending
Federal programs.
"All the preaching in the world
will not persuade either city
dwellers or farmers to stop run
ming to Congress for a hearing
they have found they can not
get from their own legislatures.
Power gravitates to those who
will exercise it. If we really want
to strengthen our system of rep
resentative government at the
State level, the first job is to
make it truly representative.
This may prove the acid test of
the strength of our republican
principles"
Would Heed Jefferson.
The former Governor declared
the most important piece of un-
finished business in many States
is to modernize the legislature
lessening the number of repre-
sentatives and proportioning
them equally among the elec-
tors. as Thomas Jefferson ad-
vised.
Mr.. Edison, following his
luncheon address, spoke to the
student body of John Marshall
High School here and urged that
young people participate actively
in civic and political affairs.
At a panel discussion on "The
Newspaper as a Civic Force" the
great majority of the Nations
weeklies came in for sharp
criticism.
Karl Deter, Readers Digest
editor and former publisher Of
the Leland (Mich.) Leelanau
Enterprise Tribune, a weekly,
declared: "Of the $500 weeklies
in the United States, $500 Of
them never lift their editorial
voices for or against anything"
Most Of them use innocuous
canned" editorials, he declared,
and avoid controversial issues.
Virginia Does Better.
But Virginius Dabney, editor,
Richmond Times-Dispatch, pre-
siding, observed that Virginia'S
weeklies have their own edito-
rials and do better than the ma
tional average.
Albert j. Crocker, st. Paul
Chamber Of Commerce official,
declared newspapers are a great
civic force generally. But he said
some permit the dollar to rise
above their civic duty.
Editors must face the problem
that. owing to television, people
are not spending as much time
reading the newspapers, said
Fritz S. Updike. editor of the
Rome IN. " Daily Sentinel.
Joseph A. Kelly, manager of
the Pawtucket (R. II bureau Of
the Providence Or. ~ Journal,
declared the newspaper is the
greatest force for good, particu-
larly in the affairs of govern
ment. He said it is important
for reporters and editors to real
ize their special position.