Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-17

7MPERTURBABILIT is something
much to be desired by a public
official. particularly by one occu-
q plying a quasi-judicial position.
Combine it with knowledge and
habit of thoroughness and it gives an
equipment bound to command success.
X
Search through the departments at
Washington and you find impertur babil-
ity exhibited in it's finest development
in the person of Walter w. Warwick,
the new controller of the Treasury.
Seated at his desk in a spacious room
in the Treasury Department. facing
an always open door. he is the very
picture Of imperturbab ility. He looks
like, one who would merely say tut.
tut should a forty-two-centimete
bomb explode in his vicinlty-and
leave enough of him to say tut, tut"
And that is as it should be, for it is
the habit of other public officials of
this great and good government con-
stantly to be exploding oral and argu-
mentative .42-centimeter bombs in the
vicinity of the controller of the
Treasury.
No matter what his title may be, the
controller of the Treasury in reality is
the auditorium chief of the United
SldtcS " HlCE also means
that he is the buffer between Con-
gress, the appropriating arm. and the
executive, the expanding arm. From
both sides he is bombarded.
Thus, Congress will appropriate
money for a certain purpose 1t may
think that it has expressed that pur-
pose clearly. The executive who is
to spend the money thinks he under
stands ITO do this work properly
he says. Il will have to buy ten auto
Nhf frr ton1
ton of the men employed"
You can't do it," says the con-
troller. Section so-and-so of such
another act of Congress expressly pro-
hibits the purchase of automobiles for
purposes of this sort"
Whereupon the executive officer
gnashes his teeth and retires Maybe
he will set his legal force to work de-
vising arguments and briefs to be pre-
scented to the controller to get him to
has to stand pat.
To put II briefly. no one can get
money out of the Treasury If the con-
troller says that II is not proper and
legal charge He has the last guess
as to what Congress meant In making
an appropriation. No appeal lies from
his rulings. save that. in certain
Classes of cases. suit may be insti-
tuted in the Court of Claims
Few persons outside of the govern
ment service realize the great power
and responsibility lodged in this Of
nee Inside the government service no
officer is held in higher respect and
fear.
For example. a near-cabinet officer
goes on on an official tour and turns in
MS expense account. His vouchers are
not In due form: he has spent money
Tor some purposes not fully authorized,
and the amount he has charged up to
sleeping car accommodations is excess
eive. Swat The controller chops $500
on the bill. and the near-cabinet officer
is stuck for that amount
Does he truly love the controller?
another example: A member of the
cabinet charged by Congress with the
task of taking up some new work and
not having room in his building for
the new force, goes out in Washington
and rents extra Office room. intending
TO pay the rent out of the appropria-
ton for the general purpose Where
ancient statute which prohibits the
of Columbia without the express con-
sent of Congress.
The resulting conversation and cor
perturbability in the controller
Once a Certain Person was President
of the United States. This Certain
Person. having the characteristic OF
wanting what he wanted when he