The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1915-07-09

large amount of attention to work
especially assigned to others. The
task is so enormous that one might
safely predict that if the individual
charged with the responsibility of
performing the work divided his at
tention, he would surely fail.
History justifies such prediction
Look at the results that have followed
neglect of executive duty. Instead
of getting down to the single job OF
running the Executive branch of Gov
eminent. which he was elected to do,
President Wilson promptly abandon
ed that task and undertook to run the
legislative branch, and what a mess he
made of it!
Under his Encouragement the gov
ernment's business faces a deficit of
500, 100000. The postal service, the
most important business feature of
government affairs has been curtail-
ed and faces deficit. Public i'm
provements for the development of
commercial facilities, such as river
and harbor and reclamation work,
have been neglected. The diplomatic
| service has discharged competent and
experienced men and employed men
who have no special qualification
other than being deserving Demo
Gratis" The consular service has suf-
fered in a similar manner. Civil ser
vice reform has been set back dozen
years by attempted return to the
spois system. The department of
Agriculture has been placed in the
hands of a theorist without practical
| knowledge of the needs of the farmer
/ The Navy has been placed under the
| supervision of a man skilled in neither
naval affairs nor in business. The
| pledges of economy have been violat-
ed in practically all branches of the
government service.
Such are some of the results of
neglect of duty. 1t is just what
might be expected from one who tries
to attend to other peoples work to
the neglect of his own. Instead of
watching over the affairs of his
own branch of the government, and
studying the expense statements and
urging his subordinates to keep the
cost within the income, the President
turned his back on his own official
affairs and undertook to direct legis-
lation. Instead Of giving active at
tention to the Mexican embroglio, he
adopted policy of "watchful waiting"
but had plenty of time and energy to
devote to distribution of patronage
among faithful Senators and Con-
gressmen. He has time for every
body's business but his own
No sensible or successful business
man would expec anything but fail
ure from such a policy. No farmer
would expect his own crops to grow
or his own live stock to thrive if he
spent his time telling his neighbors
how to manage their saw-mills, or
conduct their factories. No merchant
would hope to maintain trade if he
spent his time telling the editor how
to run his newspaper.
The failure of the Democratic ad-
ministration is nothing more nor less
than the natural result of universal
economic law,-older than the pro-
verbs-"the shoemaker should stick
to his last" and what is everybody's
business is nobody's business" If
Woodrow Wilson had stuck to the
job of Chief Executive and had made
it his especial business to see that
government affairs were run econo-
mically and efficiently. he would now
be not Inundated by the record of
waste and inefficiency.