The National tribune., 1909-07-22

reau Chiefs in the Interior and other
Departments.
OF course, they were quick. in most
instances, TO govern themselves accord
ing to the now dominant authority.
Some. however. have changed front
reluctantly, because they believe the
change unwise. Secretary Bellinger was
the pioneer in bringing the question of
legal Interpretation to an issue. The
Presidents support of his view was
possibly the most important single act
of his Administration to date. 1t is
having far-reaching effect. 1t means
a change Of policy in countless details
of administration. Its influence upon
the other Departments has already been
very great
The Department of Commerce and
Labor.
Nowhere has this been the case In a
more pronounced way than in the De-
partnlent of Commerce and Labor, over
which Mr.. NagIe presides. Like the
Interior Department it has large army
of employees with several very large
Bureaus engaged in operations that
come very close to the people. 1t has
jurisdiction over Immigration. Steam
boat Ispection, Fisheries, Census. Light
houses, Labor, Manufactures. Corpora
tlOUS anu the SOdSt anu IeOuetiC ouE-
vey. Each of these Is represented IN
the Department of Commerce and La
Dor by a Bureau. Most of these Bu-
reaus have large forces of employees,
and some of them, like the Bureaus OF
| the Interior Department, have numbers
of Inspectors and Special Agents.
The furry over the administration of
F., the Census Bureau was due in the main
+, to Secretary Nagle's strict interpreta-
tion Of the law with reference to his
! authority. He made the test promptly.
as did Secretary Ballinger, was upheld
| by the President, and whether in this
particular instance the decision, with
the resultant changes in the Census
Office at a critical period, makes for
the betterment of the Census Office or
not, Secretary Nagle Is now conducting
the Census Office in compliance with
the more conservative school of legal
Interpretation.
| This new regime is responsible at
bottom for the shake-up that has been
In progress In the Department of Com
lmerce and Labor in recent weeks and
which has extended down to the cleri-
tcal force. The agitation there has been
more prominent than in the Interior
department. but Secretary Bailinger's
lmethOds have been little less demon.
str;etive, and. then. his Department
Icomes less into touch with the people
tof the East Both Departments have
been engaged upon a vast deal of new
lwork, largely pioneer work, and during
the last few years Bureau organiZa
tions have been built up or extended
with a view to carrying out recently
devised programs.
The Department OF Agriculture.
| Much that holds true in this regard
OF the Interior and of the Commerce
| nena IT MI annliao n 10
Ipa-;ment of Agriculture. It, too. ha
been shaken from center to circumfer
ence by the new order of things. Blu
Secretary of Agriculture Wilson ha
trimmed his sails somewhat because o
the onslaughts from Congress and tn
criticisms of the Departments larg
expenditures and extensive operation
in new fields. However. the work {
, the Department of Agriculture is YER
! popular with that great and controliin
, farming constituency of the country
and. all In all. 1t is not so easy t
, reach it. On the contrary. much tina
, the other two Departments has bee
! doing Is unpopular in certain infiuen
tiai quarters, and it has been conse
quently less difficult to inaugurate ther
the new methods of conducting the pub
lie business.
= In the older branches of the execu
tive part of the Government there liza
p naturally been less Bureau buildin
a and fewer departures upon new lines {
!, activity. The State. Treasury, Wa
q Navy ad Post Office Departments hav
+ clearly defined functions. and a.
a charged with the same duties now {
4 half a century ago. There has bee
. curtailment and change in the Depar
4 ment of Justice. but some of 1t hs
: grown out of changes in the Interit
q and Commerce Departments, with whic
4 the law officers of the Government hay
had an abnormal amount of cooper:
: tive work during the last five years.