Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-03-24
GOVERNMENT WITHOUT GRAFT
Hieh Standard Of Iowa Public Service
Shown in Efficiency Report.
m Times-Republ!can.

Special to TtmeS-Repuolcan.
Des Moines. March 24.-E. H Gun
bingham. speaker Of the Iowa house
passing thru the city on business
trip yesterday, remarked that 1t oueht
to be taken as a high trioute 70 tue
state of Iowa and to its people ana !ts
officials. and an evidence OF high
stsnds I'd in the public service, that the
efficiency engineers from st. Paul VINO
had spent almost a year probing ABOUT
the state house, had failed to find any
place where they could point out cent
.f graft, and their suggestions OF
changes to effect saving in expenses
we're such az to indicate that compare
lively little waste exists anywhere.
81 was not much in favor Of en-
1loymerr Of efficiency engineers, SAID
.he speaker, for I did not see where
there was any great need OF sucn an
INQUIRY: but l don't know iiCt what II
.s worth all 1t cost to demonstrate that
there is no graft IN Iowa, that waste
has been reduced long ago to the mini
mum. that there IS economy no" III
our public affairs and that nobody can
point out any important changes tna'
would affect the financial side OF the
states affairs very much
state officials who have been study
ing the report of the engineers as made
TO the committee on 1etIencnIHe3t ana
reform and made public month ago
are becoming better pleased with II
the more ii is studied. They are point
ing on. that the report has two quite
different phases.
Insofar as it Is a report suggesting
a revolution in methods Of conducting
government affairs. and return to
continental method Of having ali power
proceed from above and filter down
ward. II .s purely advisory and open to
discussion. This is purely political
question about which the people mlshl
be expected to differ.
Insofar as it is report on de1ah
methods in the administration OF state
affairs, it carries more authority lot
these are matters strictly On business
A great many Of the suggestions are
declared to be excellent. The majority
Of those which contemplate reouct'ot'
Of state expenses, however. are simply
in line with suggestions long urseu
upon the legislature as Tor instance
the reform Of committee methoos II
the legislature, the consolidation OF ao
! minist1 alive bureaus adoption OF laoo!
saving devices, and a better system
Of making purchases OF supplies lo'
the state. The budget system OF max
| ing appropriations Is also something
| long favored by many of the men In the
| legislature.
| It is expected that the committee on
retrenchment and reform will prepare
/ a repor. based on the spscial findings
! of the men employed by them Tor the
| investigation into financial affairs o.
the state, and recommend such feat
ures as the committee can agree upor
as good, and that this report OF thf
| legislative committee Will be printed
/ in time 10 be considered By every new
member Of the legislature. 1t VIII be
recalled that at the opening OF the las
session Of the legislature the most am.
bilious effort ever made to effect re-
form IN the legislature WINS :sae
will be repeated when the next legtsia'
ture meets and with much better
chance Of success.