Evening star., 1909-06-29
Economy Not the Only Reason
for Department Pairing.
BUILDING A "TAFT PARTY"
Reductions in Force Said to Be for
a Double Purpose.
CABINET MEMBERS AS LEADERS
Expected the Reorganization of
Their Departments Will Have Its
Effect on Future Party Events.

That economy is one of the reasons
but by no means the only reason. for the
proposed reduction of the working forces
of the various executive departments is
the opinion of those in close touch with
the Taft administration. Politics is play
ing a considerable part in the coming
shake-up. Long ago President Taft de-
clared for economy He informed his
cabinet officers at one of the first cabinet
meetings held after the Inauguration that
he wanted the departments put on a
than in the past.
Reduce your force to a working basis
Throw out all the dead wood. Keep the
competent. Lose nothing in efficiency.
but have efficiency at the least possible
cost. In preparing your estimates make
them as small as possible was. in eff
feet, what the President told his cabinet.
He also outlined to them a general
policy for transfer of certain work with
a view to Tightening up the departmental
machinery. The law divisions of the de-
partments were the ones he was most
anxious to have overhauled.
The members of the cabinet Immediate
ly took up the task set for them by the
President. The most enthusiastic men,
bers of the Taft Official household were
Secretary Nagel of the Department of
Commerce and Labor and Secretary Bal
linger Of the Department Of the Interior.
Both of these men are, by the way, anti
Roosevelt in their general tendencies.
Therefore, when they found right at their
of James Rudolph Garfield in the shape
of pet bureaus under the Department of
, Commerce and Labor and the Depart
ment Of the Interior, they shed no tears
as they prepared for the work Of demo-
ltion.
Strong on Theories.
The pet bureau under the Roosevelt ad-
mlnistration was the bureau of corpora
tions Of the Department OF Commerce
and Labor. From being the head of that
bureau, which he built up. Mr.. Garfield
eecame Secretary OF he Interior. In
most ways Garfield and the men be gath
cred around him were theorists. They
worked up a lot of good information and
annoyed and alarmed the trusts and cor
porations to an amazing degree. But
they never knew when to let go. Hav-
. ing gathered mass of evidence, they
would turn 1t inside out. examine the
ton to evolution, the theory Of transmit
grafton of the soul, socialism, Organism
and all the sociological problems. When
they rot through with digest OF the evil
port on 1t the results looked like the Rey-
nolds report on the District of Columbia
pretty, but not practical.
The bureau of corporations, under Mr..
Garfield. frequently reached a quarter to
twelve, but never struck the hour.
President Taft thinks 1t should be part
of the Department of Justice and has
directed Attorney General Wickersham to
formulate a general plan to get 1t there.
He wants the bureau Of corporations to
get facts and turn them over. Wicker
sham told Nage1 to look the bureau of
corporations over. So the bureau of
corporations is being reduced. Along
with il other divisions OF the Department
duced. About 200 clerks will be caught
in the dragnet.
In the Interior Department.
In the Department Of the Interior there
was general shakeup some time ago in
the law division and the land Office.
There were few dismissals, comparative
ly speaking. but general Tightening up
was effected and the seekers after evil
dence, the various land agents, for in
stance, were told to go more slowly and
10 stop sending in all sorts of evidence
tnat made the departments legal repre-
sentatives look like idiots when they tried
10 present ii in court.
Then MIR. Ballinger went after the In
dian office. He figured that matters need
ed tightening UP a bit One of those
who nrst ran afoul of the change in
methods was Miss Estelle Reel. super
tntendent of Indian schools Under the
Roosevelt administration Miss Reel spent
half her time in the field and half in
Washington. Hereafter she will spend
practically all Of her time in the field. a
hint TO that effect having been given her
time nv Secretary Poll
The other departments have been going
more slowly. There is nothing to indicate
that anything drastic will be done in the
Post Office Department. Postmaster Cen
eral Hitchcock is we'll trained in govern
ment methods and knows just what he
wants to do. He and his former chief
Mr.. Cortelyou. long ago brought the Post
ONCE Department down to a pretty low
running figure. Whether there is room for
much change in the Treasury is not
known. Secretary MacVeagh is taking
things as they come. He will probably
make few reductions and content him
self with refraining from raising any sal
aries. What dismissals he makes will be
with a view OF consolidation.
The force Of ths Department of Justice
being small. win probably be little af-
fected by the general policy. The same
conditions prevail in the Department of
State. Secretary Wilson has announced
no coming changes in his department IL
is likely that an EFFORT will be made to
reduce the forces under the Secretary of
Navy, including clerks in the department
and employees of the various navy yards
The situation Is practically identical in
the War Department
Women Not Left Stranded.
Reports TO the effect that dozen or
more women employees OF the forest serv-
ice had been dismissed and left stranded
in the west was emphatically denied by
officials Of THAT branch of the government
this morning. The facts In that case, as
stated by these officials. are as follows:
Some time ago a number OF clerks en-
ployed I'm Washington were transferred
10 positions under the six western dis
tricts. which are located al San Francis
60. Portland Missoula Mont: Albuauer-
que. n. M; Ogden, Utah, and Denver. II
was later decided to reduce the clerical
forces employed In these district offices
on routine work. because the work had
disappeared. Consequently some Of the
clerks were transferred 10 the supervis-
ors' offices and others were brought back
TO Washington and furloughed.
Thirty-f1ve clerks were affected BY
this change. Half of them got employ