Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-01
IT MEANS SOMETHING
Action of the House Not to Be
Sneered At.
LEADERS ARE AROUSED
Intend to Regain Control of the
Departments.
RESENT EXECUTIVE ORDERS
Propose to Recover the Power Which
They Have Allowed to Slip
AWAY From Than
RESENT EXECUTIVE ORDER

adopting the resolution reported from the
help to the nine committees on expendi-
lures in the various departments, is likely
to wind up in one of the most comprehen-
sive and far-reaching Investigations in the
government departments in Washington
ever undertaken. There are some mem
bers Of the House and some folks not in
congfess at all who appear ready to sneer
at the resolution and it's ostensible pur-
pose. and to say that it means nothing
more than a few session jobs for few of
the faithful.
But time will show that this is not the
case Under ordinary circumstances this
might be reasonable Interpretation of
such a resolution: But the fact is that the
leaders In both houses of Congress have
come to realize that they have all but let
practical control of government depart
ments slip out of their hands They re-
sent IT, They resent executive orders with
respect to the regulation of the depart
ments. They resent the creation Of inves-
t1gating committees by the executive And
they resent severally and collectively the
various steps by which the power of the
House over the government department
They now propose to get this power
back In their own hands and to bring the
government departments under the actual
as well as the nominal control Of Con-
gress. The vitaltzing Of these nine dor
mant committees on expenditures was the
first step. Two of these committees-ex-
penditures in the Agricultural and Post
Office departments-haye already got to
work. and the others will meet In the near
future-Some of them for the first time in
IN mo <,f <ynx ht.Cyy
Suggested in Previous Congress.
The necessity for the vitalizing of these
committees was first forcibly suggested
at the beginning of the last Congress-
when 1t was discovered that the govern
ment departments were diverting appro-
priations at will and in many cases there
by making deficiencies. Judge Walter /.
Smith of Iowa turned the trick. Jim
Tawney, chairman of the appropriations
committee, did the discovering and Mr..
Smith, in his clarion tones, made the
House realize just what it meant He
called attention to the jurisdiction of
these nine dormant committees and to
what could be accomplished by them if
they exercised their jurisdiction in the
way Of securing information regarding all
expenditures with particular reference to
whether money was spent exactly as die
tated by Congress or was being diverted.
frequently discussed by the House leaders,
and the two committees already men,
toned have already done more or less
work and have found that the exercise of
their proper duties necessarily involved
great deal of detailed work. And so, in
order to revitalize these committees and
enable them to perform efficient service
to the House, which il was expected. when
they were created, that they would per-
form, 1t became necessary to give them
the clerical assistance provided by the
resolution of the committee on accounts
which was adopted yesterday.
Whether these clerks will subsequently
be made annual will depend largely upon
the evidence the committees can submit at
the end of this Congress concerning their
labors and its result.
Results Expected.
Representative Smith told Star re-
porter today that whatever may have
been the original purpose in creating
the committee, it had long ceased
to be regarded as charged with the duty
of conducting any investigation of the
expenditures in the department. With
the committees working he had no doubt
that misrepresentation and extravaganza
would be speedily discovered and done
away with.
why" he said. ''thc House was as
torished a couple of years ago to dis
authorized the expe nditure of $500 out
OF the contingent fund of his department
fer the purchase of an oil painting of
his predecessor. If these committees had
then been performing their functions the
House would have known that the At
torney General was simply following the
practice of the head of every executive
department of this government for years
that not only have paintings of cabinet
officers been purchased out of contingent
funds. but of subordinate officers in the
departments. until today in the older de-
partments the oil paintings-aleged works
OF art supposed to portray the features
OF 1cr rg-forgotten statesmen-have so &C
in double and triple tiers upon the walls
and the question is not where to get ex-
pensive oil paintings to decorate the
walls. but where to get the walls on
which to hang the paintings. 1t is high
time that this government with $780,
Oao,OO of annual expenditures. should au-
thorize committees representing the Con-
gress as the appropriatng power TO ex-
anime. investigate and report the expendi-
ture of the appropriations that we make"
RepreSe ntative TaWney of Minnesota
chairman of the House committee on ap-
preparations. told a Star reporter that
ii ere was no doubt that when these com-
mittees were created they were created
the expenditures in the various depart
merits. He thought that If there was
ne ecessity for such a course at that time
there was certainly a thouSandfold more
ne ceSsity now, when the expenditures of
the government reached such totals.
E. T. BUSHNELL PROMOTED