Evening star., 1912-09-01
Striking at an Important Work.

The "jokers" inserted in the legislative
appropriation bill. cutting down the
salaries of the men composing the So
called economies commission now study
ing administrative methods with view to
greater efficiency and less expense. and
Furthermore curtailing its powers OF in
vestigation. are merely examples OF the
obstructive spirit with which Congress
has persistently during the past session
acted toward this important work or
rendering the government service busi-
nesslike The President has sent several
messages to Congress setting forth the
findings OF the commission as far as IT
has proceeded. including recommendations
looking to very material saving or
money and increase In effectiveness, but
these reports have been treated with in
difference and save in one instance moth
ing has been accomplished. One bill was
passed providing for the consolidation at
the government printing office Of tho mail
ing of all documents sent forth by the
various departments and bureaus OF the
government entailing a very considerable
reduction in time and cost OF handling.
otherwise. the commission might have
been writing its reports In invisible ink
and the President transmitting them to
Congress In blank paper.
1t is apparent to everybody who has to
do with government affairs in Washing
ton that there is a great amount of super
fiuous machinery, that much OF the equip
ment is obsolete and some OF 1t a heavy
handicap upon the effectiveness Of the ad-
ministration. This is not the fault Of
those In charge Of the work itself, but 1t
is reflection Of the tendency Of Congress
TO ignore the businesslike requirements
of the government. 1t is with the great
est difficulty that practical reform Is
put through both houses. An instance
appeared in the last days of the session.
when as result OF opposition in the
Senate to the abolition of all the pension
agencies outside Of Washington, abso-
lutely superfiuous Offices, the enactment
of the pension appropriation bill was de-
layed for many weeks and serious dis
tress was occasioned among those depend
ent upon this measure for their livelihood.
The desire for patronage is responsible
for much of this procraStination in the
treatment of the government service as
business organization. 1t would be pos
sible to go through the departments and
cut out scores Of places and to save hun
dreds OF thousands Of dollars annually. II
dividuals sacrificed here and there and op-
portunities for the pleasing Of partisan
friends cut off permanently. The OBJ
struction to such reforms comes not from
the administration, but from the legis-
.lature. 1t was the thought Of those who
framed the provision for the economy and
efficiency commission to work out a
scheme OF condensation and curtailment
that would In no wise lessen the effective
ness of the governments work, but, on
the contrary, to increase it. The Presi-
dents recommendations have been aimed
at this point. Now comes Congress with
provisions OF law that strike at the very
agency of reform created by itself and
threaten to render it useless by making
il virtually impossible to find and keep
in this vitality important work the men
who are qualified to conduct this study
and develop a system of changes that will
give the government its best results.