Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-04-22
BIGGEST JOB ON EARTH
Why the President of United States is
Greater Than Kings.

Why the President of United States 10
Greater Than Kings.
Great as has been the growth Of the
country during the last half century,
the growth in the size and Importance
Of the government has been out of all
proportion greater. Its functions have
multiplied, the scope of its concerns
has infinitely widened, the field Of its
activity inconceivably extended. Where
as half century ago-indeed, a gen.
Grafton ago-a citizen was conscious Of
his connection with the Federal gov
ernment seldom, except when he went
to the postoface, voted for a congress-
man once every two years, or reflected
on the basis Of the value Of his money.
today he feels its hand practically ev-
cry moment Of his life-whenever he
opens his mouth, for food or drink,
whenever he boards a train, whenever
he makes purchase or has reason to
prognosticate the weather.
William Bayard Hale shows some of
the diverse activities Of the great ma
chine OF which Mr.. Wilson has just
taken charge. Today the government
over which he comes to preside, is an
affair Of such magnitude, the extent,
the size, the importance, the reach,
the diversity Of the duties of the pres
tional evolution, become 80 prodigious;
the White House at Washington has
become the center Of so great sys-
tenn, an organization, an authority, un-
precedented in the history Of political
institutions-that Mr.. Wilson, In TAX
ing up the task they impose, did fairly
well to fortify his oath with the GUS
tomary devout invocation Of superhu-
man aid in the words with which
George Washington, with far less rea-
son; began his terms; $50 help me
In 1856, when woodrow Wilson was
born, the United States were "a; now
they are 40. Then we possessed no out
Porto Rico, the Panama Canal Zone,
the Philippines, Guam, Hawaii and the
Tutuila islands-more than 5000 Is
lands. Our population then was 49,
100000; now 1t is 100000
In 1856 the country possessed $4,000
miles of railroads; today 100000. Then
not q telegraph instrument clicked, not
q telephone bell tinkled. That year the
people Of the United States spent ST.
100000 for postage stamps; this year
we shall spend $3.50. .00o, ,Oo0-and stamps
are cheaper, too.
Under Franklin Pierce, an attempt
u CidSSily Inc CIVIL 5ciNiCc chuhCi
ated 722 men and women. Then the
total civil establishment of the United
States numbered about $4,000 people.
Under Woodrow Wilson the civil SER
vice has passed beyond enumeration;
no complete register Of II is attempted,
but in its last report Of the civil service
commission records 236,0 In the class
flied service, and counts 395,460 civil
employees-not to mention more than
100000 others whose whole time is not
taken by the government. More than
half q million men and women are re-
quired to carry on the activities over
which President Wilson Is chief super
intendent-145,00 900 more to fill the rank
Of the army and navy. The civil sal
ary list under Pierce was twenty mil
lions q year; today 1t Is twenty times
twenty millions. ...
When the present president was In
his cradle, the president Of the da. an
swered his own letters. Today the
White House staff includes forty Sec
retaries and clerks.
The year In which Woodrow Wilson
was born the expenses Of the United
States government an ounted to $75,-
647,171. In 1912 its cost was 1901 ,297,-
979. The receipts Of the government
in 1856 were $50, ,000,0 900; last year they
amounted to $s70,000,000.
Even In the year that Woodrow Will
son attained his majority the govern
ment in which he attained to a voice,
was an affair for which congress was
called to appropriate only 1926, 900.
Last year It appropriated more than a
thousand millions. 1t was only yester-
day, only a dozen years ago, that the
cry "a billion dollar congress" startled
the country. Nowadays a congress
spends two billions.
These are but swift and desultary
glimpses at few of the multiplicate
and diverse works In which the gov
ernment Of the United States Is engag-
ed. They can serve only to hint at the
weight Of the task which woodrow
Wilson now takes up. ~
The president of the United States
today Is second to no sovereign as a
force in International affairs. The
friendship Of our government Is wooed
assiduously by the other great powers;
many startling story could be told Of
offers sent by European and Asiatic
chancellors. So long as we remain in
possession Of the Philippines we are
necessarily involved in the vastest and
most delicate rivalries Of the powers.
So long as anarchy Is permitted to
reign in Latin America we are expos
ed to dangers from every source OF
danger. For a long time the secretary
of state was premier in the cabinet
only formally and not in fact. Today
the wisest mind at the command Of the
president Is actually needed in the for
eign office.-World's Work.