MISSOURI WATCH: POLITICAL SHORTS: WHY NOT `LAND OF LAWYERS'?

Missouri's sister state to the East proudly calls itself the "Land of Lincoln" to recognize its native son named Abraham. Our state, on the other hand, might try upstaging Illinois by broadening its slogan and becoming the "Land of Lawyers." This would recognize the more than three-year practice of Gov. Mel Carnahan to name lawyers to many of the state's blue ribbon commissions and even those on a lower echelon.

The most recent example occurred the other day when Lawyer Carnahan filled two vacancies on the St. Louis Police Commission, and true to form, he selected from a broad population pool two of his fellow professionals. Ignored were corporation presidents, banking officials, educators, community activists and scores of highly successful businessmen and women. One lawyer, perhaps, but both? A case of over-gilding the lilies. The candidate who opposed Carnahan in the 1992 general election, also a lawyer, learned the hard way how dangerous it can be to associate too closely with fellow practitioners. Bill Webster relied heavily on his fellow Missouri Bar members to assist him in his pursuit of the state's top political post, and this reliance led to Webster's down fall and his eventual imprisonment. This doesn't suggest that Carnahan could suffer the same fate, but obviously he doesn't believe that lightning can strike twice.

The incumbent governor is not he first to choose top administrative posts from his fellow lawyers, nor is he a rarity among those who occupy the executive office after attending law school. Starting back in 1940, Missouri has had a long succession of attorney in the executive office: Forrest Donnell, Phil Donnelly, Jim Blair, John Dalton, Warren Hearnes, Kit Bond, Joe Teasdale, John Ashcroft and now Carnahan. Not a plumber or an insurance salesman in the lot.

When it came time for Carnahan to make his most important appointment filling the vacancy of a statewide office, he chose attorney Bekki Cook to replace non-lawyer Judi Moriarty. Guess which profession makes up a majority of the Board of Curators at University of Missouri. You don't need to guess; you already know the answer. Lawyers no play a major role in building highways as well as serving on virtually every other board or commission in Jefferson City.

Members of the Missouri Bar are everywhere in state government, many selected because of their professional expertise and many others because their professional association with chief executives. Lawyers make up 44 percent of the state's congressional delegation, and 29 percent of the Senate's members are "officers of the court." Law schools appear to be Missouri's principal training grounds for future political scientists.

When it comes to classic political mistakes, not many could equal the scheduling last week of a $1,000-a-plate fund raiser for House Democrats. Not only was this huge dinner in which tickets were hawked to lobbyists held in the middle of the busiest week of the annual legislative session, it pointed out once again the symbiotic relationship between legislators and those who are paid to influence them.

The first word out of the mouths of the House Democratic leadership at the close of this year's session was the age-old excuse Missourians hear every year at this time: we ran out of time. Of course lawmakers ran out of time. They were busily engaged in collecting money from professional lobbyists for a $20 dinner that cost $1,000 to enjoy. Let nothing interfere with the politicians' need for campaign funds, not even the public's business. It was a case of politics at its worst.

A recent column by this writer facetiously suggested that Missouri change its Show-Me slogan to the Build-Me-A-Stadium state in light of the feverish chamber of commerce-type plans for convention/athletic/community development requests from both large an small cities. I seriously doubt if this had any connection with the latest please-build-us-another-stadium request from the athletic department at the University of Missouri at Columbia. These people don't lack for plans!

A generous benefactor/son-in-law of one of the Wal-Mart millionaires says the Hearnes Stadium, although only 24 years old, isn't big enough for big-time Mizzou basketball, which requires at the very least another $50-plus million stadium in Columbia. The home folks are ecstatic and feel certain their fellow taxpayers won't mind divvying up at least a third of the cost. Whatever happened to college academics?

~Jack Stapleton of Kennett is the editor of the Missouri News and Editorial Service.