The sun., 1894-03-04
A HERCULES IN THE HOUSE.
now HE ~ cLEASiN0 THE AUsEAN
sT<BLEs IN FASHING TOM


-aa-Tbe Great wort OF = Couutry
Bsntsr who Wa. sest 90 CorEress-Au
Aeeourtiss systsr. ~ the Dep.rt-rent-
that VIII save si.ooo.oco Year.
WASHINGTON, March 3 THE House has de-
vsloped one statesman IN ten years" said a
well-known newspaper editor some years ago.
"Hs Il Richard r. Bland. lie originated the
only statesmanlIks measure passed In years.
Tho result Ia the Bland dollar"
since then another statesman has been de-
vsloned Ho is doing his work patiently but
persistently. II 10 = work almost equal in
magnitude to that Of Hercules when he began
60 clean the AuRean stables. The Greek did
his work quicker. but not more thoroughly
than the work laid out by this rural statesm an
10 being done IL Is the application OF modern
business principles TO the great departm ents
IN Washington. They have been run In some
instances from precedents established as far
back AZ 1781. Hereafter they will be run from
precedents 10 long than necessary to secure
. change.
In the fall OF 1882 Alexander M Dockery. a
banker in Gallatin. Mo-. was nominated for
Congress- He had studied medicine in st.
Louis years before and had attended medical
lectures at Bellevue in New York In 1896 He
was . patient plodding gentleman. with
practical mind and great power Of analysis.
He became successful banker. and entered
the House OF Representatives in December.
1899. Speaker Carlisle. recognizing his abil-
tty. placed him on the Com mittee on Accounts
In the Forty ninth and Fiftieth congresses he
was q member OF the Committee on Post
Offices and Post Roads. His work here re-
sulted in the establishment Of the fast mail
between New York and San Francisco via Kan
Ras City. In tho Fifty-nrst Congress Speaker
Reed placed him upon the Committee on Ap-
propriatons. Hero he was made a member OF
the sub-com mittee on legislative. executive.
and Judicial appropriations. The Legislative.
Executive. nnd Judicial bill Is. In volume. the
largest appropriation bill reported to the
House OF Representatives Frequently the
heads Of the different partme nts in Washing
ton are mmoned before the committee and
the chiefs OF all the bureaus are invariably
called to justify their estimates. 1t is upon
these estimates that the bill Is formulated.
In questioning the chiefs OF bureaus In the
Treasury. the Post ONCE and other depart
ments. Mr.. Dockery became interested In their
business methods. Although only the Presi-
dent Of q country bank. he had been accus-
toned to the simplest. readiest. and most mo-
thodlcal way OF doing business. While serv-
ing on the com lttee in the Fifty-sscond Con-
gress. he became convinced that business
methods could be devised for the various de-
partments in Washington which would sim
rlify matters. save the money OF the people.
and secure moro promptness and effectiveness
in the service.
The result OF tho election in the fall Of 1892
gave him an opportunity to move. with q PROS
pect OF succees A Democratic President had
been elected. With a Democratic Senate and
House OF Representatives behind him. II would
be an Administration pledged to retrenchment
and economy. Most OF the employees OF tho
departments would be arrayed against any
effort to simplify the business. on the ground
that 1t would reduce their number but with
the Administration the Cabinet and Congress
behind him. Mr.. Dockery felt sure OF accom-
plishing economical results.
Toward tho end OF the short session OF the
ffny-second Congress he secured an order Of
the House giving the Committee on Appro-
priations tho power OF engrafting upon an ap-
propriation bill the creation OF a Joint Com
mission OF three members OF the House OF
Representatives and three Senators to over
haul the laws establishing the executive de-