The San Francisco call., 1901-10-18
NEW CABINET OFFICERS.

TROM the frequency with which the press of
the larger cities of the East urge the import
ance of creating a Department of Commerce,
with Cabinet officer at its head, it appears evident
there will be strong effort made to bring it about
the coming session of Congress- The subject is
not new one, and the public is familiar with the
arguments for it. In fact the proposed department
was indorsed by the Republican National Convention
at Philadelphia, and accordingly it has rightful
claim upon the attention of the Government
While the arguments which the great commercial
States OF the Union thus putting forth for the
Department of Commerce are valid they are not
so than those which have been repeatedly
urged by Western men in favor of creating Depart
ment of Mines and Mining. The two movements
therefore might we'll be taken up together If both
be supported by the friends of each the chances of
will be much greater than if each be left to
stand alone
The nation has beer slow in establishing depart
ments for the better administration of its expanding
business Under the Presidency of Washington there
were but four departments-those of the State
the Treasury, War and Law. During the admin
istration of John Adams it was found necessary to
separate the management of the navy from that of
the army, and accordingly the Navy Department
established. No further addition was made until
the Presidency of Jackson when the Postmaster
Generdl was raised 10 q seat IN the cabinet. 1he
Department of the Interior was found necessary dur
ing the administration of Tyler the first Secretary of
that department being appointed in 1S4o; and it was
not until 1880 that the great and growing agricul
tura interests of the country given representa-
ton in the executive branch of the Government by
the creation of the Department of Agriculture
1t requires argument to show intelligent men
that the nation advances in population and in
wealth and becomes and more complex in its
industries there must arise from time time the
need for further divisions Of the vast work of admin
istraton. Our commerce has now reached such pro-
portions that it is absurd to leave its affairs divided
between the State Department the Agricultural De-
partment and the Treasury holding subordinate po-
sition in EACH If the work done by the Bureau
of Statistics of the Treasury Department and that of
the similar bureau in the Agricultural Department
and the Bureau of Foreign Commerce in the State
Department concentrated under control
and expanded so meet the needs of the country
would amply justify the placing OF Cabinet officer
the head of it.
Governmental work in relation to mines and min
ing is at present more scattered than the work
done for commerce. The mining men have repeated
ly pointed out that in order to get information which
the Government has bestow they have at times to
run from bureau bureau, only to find at last that
while one has authority in thing and another in
something else there is central authority to bring
all the mining affairs of the Government into har-
mony and consistency. By reason of the confusion
that prevails there results not only something of in
efficiency in the Governmental supervision of mining
matters but an absolute and loss in many di-
rectons
1t is to be hoped the mining men will be able to
present their at Washington as strongly as is
that of the commercial men. There is no reason
Why the two departments should not be created at
the same time. The nation needs both of them and
should therefore have both of them