The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-03-09
Mr.. Parsons Furnishes a Committee
Information About the Sugar Trust,
But Fails to Mention Certain Facts of Which
the Congressman Are in Hot Pursuit-Ne-
gotiating a New Treaty with China.
EXECUTIVE BUSINESS.

! Senator Cockrelrs Report Conveys q Faint
Idea of the decentralization Once.
WASHINGTON, March 8.-The report submit
| ted to-day by Senator Cockrell. from the special
committee which has been studying the meth
DDS of transactine government business in the
executive departments. is volume of 268
printed pages. in addition to volumInous APP
pendices. The committee devoted year to the
work. Senator Coekrell, its chairman. remain
ing in Washington during the entire recess of
several months to prosecute it, yet it is not as
sumed that the task has been exclusively per-
ormed; lifetime indeed would be insufficient
for the mastery of the whole subject, as
any reader of the report will easily
discover for himself. The committee finds
much in certain places to commend and very
much in others to condemn as unnecessary. RI
dieulous and farcical circumlocutiou. The
port at the outset classics the forces employed
by the government including the officers and
men of the army and navy, and finds grand to-
tai of III, 746 individuals. The reports received
from the various departments IN reply to the
committees letters of inquiry, are pronounced
exceedingly valuable" but they fail to show
the connection of bureau with bureau. division
with division. in respect to any single item of
business transacted. and for the purpose of get
ting information of this character, the commit
ties caused few specimen items to be traced
from initiation to completion. The first of
these is expenditure of $50, 900 by the Treas
ury Department for stationery for the fiscal
year 1887. The simple statement of the course
of this transaction from the estimate the
settlement warrant" requires twenty, one print
ed pages. The history of the settlement of con-
sui William F. Grinneli. of Bradford, England,
for the second quarter of 1887 covers thirteen
printed pages In like manner. and with like
results, marshai's account, district attorneys
account a Qusrtermaster's account and the
count of receiver of public moneys are traced
and submitted. These were not exceptional
cases, but were selected by chance. and the re-
AMI ta arA 2 a
immediate comment.
Other cases and instances are characterized as
showing 'farcical routine, examinations, certif-
cations, entries. scounter-entries and red tape
ad nauseam when direct course of settlement
would have been far preferable" This class of
work the committee finds useless and unneces-
sary. and not justified by the law" and recon-
mends that it be dispensed with.
The committee finds the method of payment
in the Signal Office. 'sa needless duplication of
accounts It finds the Second Auditors clerks
writing thousands of letters TO the Quartermas-
ter generals clerks for information TO be obtained
from copies of pay-rolls in the Quartermaste-gen-
erals Office, the originals of which were prepared
10 and now file in the very Office whence
the inquiries emaDate. 1t finds the condition
of business in the General Land Once now and
for many years past chaotic" which results
''from a want or lack of plain, correct business
methods and requirements. promptly and uni
formly enforced upon the local land officers and
the employees of the General Land Office" It
finds that the tract-books of the Office have
been neglected since the year 1882 and that in
has, by reason of this gross carelessness and
negligence" 20 be sought here and there through
the records at great expense of time and labor.
It finds that registers and receivers, instead OF
exercising the quasi-judicial functions
conferred upon them by Congress- are treated
merely as clerks of the department., heaping
upon the Washington Office vast accum ulations
of undi1ested matter, which takes its chances
with the accumulatopns of past decades. 1t
finds practice of long existence IN the General
Land Office for employees, uuon the discovery OF
some actual supposed aon compliance with
the law or regulations, to suspend and pigeon
hole such cases and wait for the entryman his
attorney to call mp the for action. The
practice is illustrated, the committee says. by
the 100 suspended graduation entries in Mis-
souri,, made under law which repealed in
1862 and the suspended donation entries in Ore
gon, made under law which expired by limita-
ton in 1893.
The committee finds the Patent Office suffer
ing for want of 3 classified abridgement' of
patents granted, q work begun several years ago
but unavoidably delayed, and it submits bill
arproprIAting 500, 900 for the speedy
completion of the work. The
port discloees many tricks of p8tentees
aud would be patentses for delaying action upon
extending the life of their patents at times
securing the protection of the spatent applied
for' upon devices which not really patenta-
bic Some times the delays are brought about
by attorneys for the purpose of extorting addi-
tional fees.
The committees recommendations are scat
tered throughout the report One of the most
important is that the Secretaries OF the Treas
ury and of War each appoint a commission in
their departments TO study the present methods
reforms are possible. and how needless routine
can be avoided. Both Secretaries have advised
the committee that they will carry out the sug-
gestion.