South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-02-21
GOVERNMENT IS
LARGELY DIRECTED
BY COMMISSIONS
Great Number of Such Semi
Legislative, Semi-JudiciaI
bodies Developed Since Com
merCe Boards Creation.

By Victor EliiOiI.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 20.-The
/ growth OF commission government"
IN Washington has been astonishing
The specialization demanded By the
development OF federal control has
created a new group OF independent
bodies, semi-3udicial and semi-legis-
lative. and possessing vast power over
The industrial. economic and financial
| destinies OF the land.
The pioneer commission. from the
national point OF view, was the inter-
! state commerce commission. IL was
originally created in 1883 TO inquire
| into certain transportation prob
lens and suggest remedies for them.
Now II Is one OF the most powerful
group OF administrators in the entire
| world. welding what is practically
the power Of life and death over the
/ American railroad system.
Within the past decade temporary
commissions OF varying character,
such as the immigration commission
and the monetary commission. have
been created for temporary purposes
o Investigation, and they have COM
monty been regarded as purely para
site" in their real character-that is,
rs having created 10 provide jobs for
political hacks or junkets for pro-
Vinciel legislators who desired 10 see
tine world at the nations expense.
Some OF them have been useful and
efficient such as the presidential com
mission on economy and efficiency.
which, although ignored by congress,
provided a budget system for the ma
tional government which has been
termed by experts at home and
abroad as the ideal one of its type.
But most OF them have become by
words through their extravaganza
with the taxpayers money and their
monumental uselessness.
The interstate commerce commits
sion was the first great commission
created under the national govern
ment and the federal reserve board.
with powers equivalent to those of
commission. was the second. Just as
the former has powers approaching
ahSOlutism over the railroads of the
country. so does the latter govern the
banLs OF the nation. Although at
present IL seems merely a bro nch of
the treasury department. il is in real
ity an entirely independent body. with
powers far exceeding those Of the
secretary of the treasury, and with no
veto power above it, III has not vet
developed itself 10 it's full stature
To Name New Commission.
The third great commission is soon
To- be appointed by Pres't wilson
the federal trade commission. Tins
body viii exercise the same jurisdic-
ton over trade and industry in gen
railroads and banks. It's true place
IN the administrative fabric of the
government remains TO be seen. It
can be made powerful or compare
lively negligible just as the men com
posing 1t are positive and trenchant
in character OF negative. 1t all de
ponds.
The fourth great commission under
the government VIII be the shipping
bOard-that is. If ship purchase
measure passes As the bill seems TO
be doomed at the present time, the
shipping board will have To be post
poned until another period of mer-
camille marine development This
commission would have no direct
power over ships of American regis
try, hut its indirect influence would
be very great
The civil service commission was
created nearly two decades ago TO
bring the government departments
out of reach of the political spOils-
man. Although it's powers are not
great, IL has been substantial fac
tor in the Improvement of the con-
ditions which formerly prevailed in
Washington. and lt has always been
solid ms "a rock" against any political
influence. The president himself is
the only person who can disregard
or veto its DEGREES regarding appoint
ments 90 the government service.
NaIial BDuN NOW DClunCI.
The isthmian canal commission il
now a defunct body. because the
Panama canal is now practically
complete. but under its supervision
the big ditch was built OF course
il is needless 10 say that the chairman
Of the commission was no less per
son than COL George Washington
GOeIhals himself The commission OF
fine arts is an advisory board created
under the administration of Pres't
Tart 60 grapple with problems OF
architecture i'm the construction OF
government structures and projects of
Improvement in Washington and else
where. The commission OF industrial
relations. which has been investigat-
ing the Rockefeller and Carnegie
foundations. and other philanthrOpic
projects. in New York the past two
weeks. was also created under Pres'C
Taft 10 inquire into the causes OF
industrial unrest
The board of Indian commissioners
has considerable power i'm protecting
the Indians from Illegal exploitation,
the international waterways commits
sion looks after questions of naviga-
ton on streams flowing from the
United states snto either Canada or
Mexico and the international joint
commission pOnders over boundary
questions involving the United states
and Canada.
IL might be said that the admins
trative powers originally residing in
congress and the president have been
delegated 10 "a group of commissions
which are constantly growing in pow
or and influence.