THE MICHIGAN DAILY WSW. s-. . Hj We kBeg. TON1IGIIT (Sunday) I 25 6ARC $1 Sat. Parties and State Government Tues, Tiur4., 15th Annual Season First Week By Thomas H. Reed i (This is the sixh of Professor Reed's series of ar- licle's On gv0ernmlwtt and political par/ies. The seven lt and last of these articles, which will discuss theS non- partisan movement, will b~e pub4lished next Sunday.) State government on the whole is much less effected Iby the action of .political parties than is natioflal gov- clement. Condiitons vary a good deal from state to state. in some, political parties have been reduced, - as in California, to a very low ebb; in others like Ohio they are extremely vigorous and active il state affairs. It is very difficult to give a composite account of state. government and politics. To give the institutions and characteristics of a single state is to present a picture which corresponds with only one of the forty-eight. Difficult as it is we must attempt something in the natuer of the composite picture. There is an even greater need of the harmonizing influence of parties in state government than in na- tional government. Besides the executive, legislative and judicial branches set off against dne another, in the states the executive power itself is usually divided lbetween several elective officers. It not infrequently happens that even wren they are all of the same party nothing like harmony can be brought about between them. I have seen a Governor and a Secretary of State of the same party glare hostility at one another. for six years.and never perform an act with relation to one another which was not intended to'do harn. This is a somewhat unusual situation but there have been many others similar in kind though not so extreme in. degree. State elections are universally fought on party lines with this difference from national elections, that there is on the whole greater freedom in the direction of independent voting. Men Wvho would not think of cast- ing a ballot for any but their own party's candidate for President will without much hesitation vote for the candidate of the opposite' party for Governor. As we descend in the scale of offices, this tendency toward indepenlence becomes more and more markedl. It is. however, greatly hindered by the circumstance that the long ballot with its curious list of unknown per- sonsrunning for unknown offices causes people in sheer despair to fall back upon the recommendation of their own party. lu the actual conduct of state government the party, usually counts less than it does at Washiington. Our state legislatures are organized in strict imitation of the houses of Congress. There are the same commit- tees always containing a majority of the majority party, and a Speaker of the lower IHouse who-uses his pawers in a partisan manner.. It: is, however, only in rare instances that the menibers of the legislature actually divide on party lines in determining the fate of any measures before them. There is som'etinies a go(1 deal of talk about party responsibility and an attempt to keep some sort of larty control of the legislature but it rarely amounts to much. Upon a few very im- portant meiasurcs the membhers .of the }party and the legislature will caucus. Persons who attend a:caucus are mnorally bIund to abide b y its decisions. The re- stilt is that caucuses are ra ely callel andl reluctantly attended. Thel reasons which must often determine the action of rmembers of the legislatureare sectional ani individual rather than partisan. There is a rather close parallel befween the power of the Governor and that of the Presid' ent. The people of the state have come to regard the Governor as the one officer who can really he counted upon to act in a representative capacity in the state government. The Governor has the ear of the public as no nember of the legislature has it. He. has a veto power even more extensive than that of the President. His power of appointment is less trammeled in most cases by plro- visions for merit appointment. The legislators indi- vidually are by no mneans able to cope with him and it is only whoa there exists a well disciplined majority oppose(l to hi'i i that they can stand in his way. From what has already been said it is easy to infer the truth that it is only rarely that this circumstance will arise. In most states the control of the Governor over the legislature has somewhat less of the party and more of the personal element than in the case of the Pres- ident. : The machines which have been built by influ- ential Governors like Hiram Johnson and Robert 14a- follette have been personal rather than party machines. They have certainly )roved to be personal in the sense. that the party could not get control of them. There is some reasonable, justification for the break- ing lown of national parties lines in the coneluct .of a state govrenment. 'The issues of state government are not identical with those of national governnient. A rman may come, for example, from the rural portion of an agricultural state, believe, in a low tariff and find himself in other respects also a D)emocrat in na- tional affairs. On the other hand he may be deeply interestel in the adoption of a progressive irrigation policy by his state and finds himself there more inti- mately allied with a great many Republicans. The fact that the Democrats stand for the things he believes in in the nation does not necessarily mean that the Re- lpulicas (dlo not stand for what he w'ants in the state. The 'issues of .politics become confused. There is a certain tendency for the parties in the states to align themselves on opposite sides of great questions but it is only rarely that they succeedl iii so doing. Jt seems ridiculous froi a certain point of view to allow the fate of state policies with regard' to prison reforn, child labor: and' rheIimproveet' ocgf' ricuzlture i& he settled in an election where the real issues are the national administration's polif in'toMexico :or the pro- tective tarift. There would, however, be very little to nouridi national party machines of., if it 'were .not for the power and patronage which comes to them by virite of controlling the states. There was a time when this was an all sufficient justification for the complete subordination of state issues to those of na- tional politics. There is much less of this now than formerly. In some states it has almost altogether dis- appeared. In others it is disappearing. On the other hand the states are such lar its that it is practically impossible to carry on their poll- tics without parties and, energetic organizers as we are' we have not felt equal to the task of having two sets of parties, one for state and one for national af- fairs. On the whole it is probable that national par- ties will continue to operate in the states much as they do 'at present, that is very vigorously around election time but with comparatively small effect in the daily operation of government except in matters of patron- age. There can be no question that the direct primray system has weakened the hold of the parties upon state government. This has not been altogether an unmixed blessing. There is a certain advantage in the existence of vigorous parties, one ready to take power front the other when occasion offers. This is what party responsibility really means, 'that one party should be in control of all branches of the government and that there should be another party reaiy. and willing to take over that control whenever the people desire a change. State politics have become less a matter of paty anl more a matter of individual lead- ership. Ve are for Groesbeck, Smith or Pinchot, not for the Republican or Democratic parties. We have sulbsti tuted individual responsibility for party respon- sibility. Some .are already beginning ;o regret the change. Time alone, however, can tell whether the settle- ment of state issues on their own merits and the filling of state offices upon the' basis of state needs was enough to offset the loss of effective party respon- sihility as a; means of securing democratic control in state government. I would counsel deliberation, not ru ing fron the evils that we know' to those that we have forgotten but cautiously and deliberately feeling our way toward better devices in government. Rore was not made in a (lay, neither was Michigan, Massa- chusetts or \Missouri. Gf ;overnmienttal processes are iM the course of evolution just as are the creatures of the physical world. There riever was a tiune when they were perfect. In fact they never will he perfect ul- til they are (lead and we are in the cofin ith them. They possess an indefinite capacity for' perfecet dilaty. They will always be changing, though the units of tim in which changes are operated may be centuri;es, we do not neel to be discouraged because Ieither the teformers of 1912 or the reactionaries of 1Q'4 have found the key to the ,perfect relation of national par- ties to state government. 11 THE Bonstelle Company In a Sma~rt New Comnedy of Life by Emmna Beatrice Bmunner I 1t Jessie Bonstelle Mary Hone Marion Fairbank Edwin I. Wolfe Happen, THE COMPANY INCLUDES: Katherine Alexander Virginia Howell cs Alargaret Storey Wlt~ler Sherwin ld Walker sll Stepheii Nastfogel, Scenie Artist, ed"' Minor Watson Eden Gray Walter Young Lester Vail Adams T. Re 11 i NEXT WEEK--'UP THE LADDER" 4 f a Q I SIf No muter whatt purposess the garments serve, they will bze muzh more satis- factory i fcleaned here in Benzo . Costs are low GOLD MAN Telephone 13 I I :II 1 . <[f , I ' ; f°F .4s ' :. U . * ' P, --- Today In 7 First Baptist Church Members of the G. A. R. and allied rganizations will be the specialt luests for the memorial day service t the First Baptist Church at 10:30. Eeverend It. E. Sayles will preach on What 1M1ean These Stones?" At noon ,he Church school and stuidents class ill meet at the Guild house under the lirection of Howiird R. Chrapman, dil members of the B. Y. P. U. will Ueet at 5:45 at t11e Guild house to go n canoes to Beefsteak hill where Miss erry Hamilton, '24M, will lead a brie ervice on the topic, "Personality." Episcopal Church Reverend Charles D. Erdman, D. D;, f Princeton, N. J., will present the iorning sermon on "Let Us Rise Up nd Build," at the St. Andrew's Eps- opal Church at 11 o'clock. Holy corn- nunion will be held at 8 o'clock, at 2:15 there will be a bible class fort oung women, and at 4 o'clock the, tudents will gather at Harris hall for hike and picnic. Congregational Church Seniors are specially invited to the horning service at 10:45 o'clock 'at lie Congregational Church. Reverend [erbert A. Jump will preach on "Ar- ows of Little Faith: A Sermon to ie Youth." The student hour at 5;30 ill be a welcome to Mrs. E. Knox Mitchell, the new wife of the univer-t ity pastor of this church. Al Stanch-a eld will contribute some special mu-i ical features after which an informal ( upper will be served. The fireside hat at 6:30 will discuss "How Choose< ne's Life Work?" and the motion pie- a ure service at 7:30 will be a patri- he Churches --- otic film featuring Alice Brady in "Betsy Ross and the flag."F First Methodist Church1 "I Know" is the pastor's subject for morning worship at the First Metlio-' dist Church at 10:30 o'clock. Bible classes 'will be held at noon and open house at 6:30 at Wesley hall. Mr. Millard Pryor will lead tlie guild de- votional meeting at 6:30 and at 7:30 an international peace program will be presented. One subject will be "Peace As We Ought To Pursue It," Znd Miss Estelle Downing, associate professor of rhetoric at the Michigan State Normal, Ypsilanti, will speak on "Indications Of Woman's Attitude T[wardl War and Peace." First Presbyterian Church "What Is Most Worthwhile?" will be the Presbyterian Church by Reverend discussed at the morning worship of Merle 11. Anderson,. minister. At: 12:30 o'clock a student class will be, led by Dr. Anderson, a 5:30 there will be a social hour, and at 6:30 Christian Endeavor will meet for a special musical evening. Zion Lutheran Church The subject chosen for discussion at, .he morning service of the Zion Luth- eran Church is "Praying in the Name of Jesus." The student forum will observe Senior Night -with a supper served by the women of the church at 6:00 o'clock. A service to com- memorate the Savior's ascension will be held Thursday evening at 7:30. Chinese I f'WALK-OVER'S FlIF'IETH ANNIVERSARY , Rugs If you contemplate sometime buying an Oriental handmado rug-I will be glad to have you come often to my home and se my new importations of Chinese rugs. Unless you have already decided on just what designs and colors you want, the seeing of, the many new styles and 'differ- ent combinations of color will be a great help to you, and I enjoy showing the rugs to those who appreciate beauty. v ' ,/ ... " .. ' - , The smart sandal forsummer wear in town is black- pref- erably patent leather. This smartlypatterned, youthfully styled Walk-Over model, with its famous Walk-Over smooth fit and special anni- versary quality, is priced low enough to be an added con- venience in every well dressed woman's wardrobe. II .. r .. , . . . 1 , ,.. ,. . _ .. , . MRS.1. B. IERRICK 1PWNlh RF i $7.5 MOC SANDAL An anniversary ipecial, in patent leather. I - - We w e secYnd Wu r! ~ M115 A. IAJN ST. 928 Church your mhnd - 'j~. Patronize Daily Advertisers,-Adv. . still expecting a'JVVKR. vue win, P ay the best possible price for them summer weather " r ifa ,, r ': phis .season : p Di A A C N We Have f; SLATER'S Ferry's Lawn Seed and Garden Seeds and tools to work the gardens and lawns with. Lawn Mowers, another shipment of them expected the first of the week, priced from $7.00 to $18.00. Book Store SPECIAL MUSIC C ,.