The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-02-27
Representative Fuller Says
Half Committees in House
Are Unnecessary
MAKES A STRONG
. PLEA FOR ECONOMY
Telling Stories and Splitting Chief Func-
ton of Members, Says Massachusetts
Representative in Letter to Speaker
Champ Clark.
Champ Clark.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27.-Over-or-
ganlzation of congress and useless ex-
peRse in maintaining unnecessary and
inefficient committees were loudly crit
icised by Representative Fuller of Mas
sachusetts, Independent. in letter to
Speaker Champ Clark. Mr.. Fuller ten
dcred his resignation as member of
the committee on expenditures in the
interior department.
Mr.. Fuller called the present system
the most expensive 'barnacle" of the
government and said it made the aver
age member a "'figurehead. >
The letter to Speaker Clark follows.
Il hereby tender nv resignation as
member OF the committee on expendi-
lures in the interior department. This
committee has had no meeting during
the present congress, except one short
smoke talk lin this respect | believe il
IS similar to about half the commit
tees of the house,, and, so far as |
can Judge from inquiry and investiga-
ton, VIII have no public business 10
justify ITS existence, and, that being the
ease, / do not wish by accepting the
honor Of membership in ii TO appear TO
give even my tacit consent to the cx-
lstence OF committee which has no
real, luStlilahle reason for existing OF
er than 10 entail n needless and uniusti
habie expense upon the people who pay
the bills.
As You know, there are 60 standing
committees i'll the house organization,
and more than half of them are as use
less and unnecessary as the committee
from which | am resigning At time
like. this, when we are passing through
grave national crisis. the house should
ke account Of matters Of efficiency
and economy within its own confines.
with view TO increasing efficiency and
reducing expense.
= am business man and accus-
toned to looking at these things from
common sense standpoint. I was
somewhat fearful about nv aualfca-
tons for undertaking the duties of a
congressman because of 4 lack of DO
lItleal experience. | find that the duties
l have fallen heir to as n congressman
are oil an entirely different nature than
those | anticipated. When / meet any
Of my constituents they usually greet
me WltA the expression, Nv, But Won
must be busy down in Washington.
Now, | would like to be really busy
and am mighty sure if the proper
spirit animated our present congress
that these needless committees could
be changed into real agencies for the
service of the government.
Why could not some of these need
less committees that never meet and
that arc occupying valuable room and
employing secretaries and messengers
that have no work to do, be utilized 10,
various useful purposes, such as INSPECT
ing camps soliciting labor for ship
yards, dong any one of the hundred
and one things that the government i
III need of todav2 Instead of this Won
End | know that two-thirds of our com
mlttees are useless and, instead of bo
ing really busy. the majority of orr
congressman down here are telling sto-
r1e5 and practicing up to see who can
spit the farthest
Quite aside from all other aspects
there is a dominating clement of polit-
lcal deception in the existing house
system. The people have been taught
10 beheVe that a member S standing
should be judged by his committee an,
Polntments. According to that stand
ara. my constituents, having no means
OF knowing the truth, might conclude
that my membership on the committee
III question carries with it some i'm
niicatlon of opportunity to advance pub
he interests. AS a matter of fact. il
means nothing at all, excepting that
such committees serve TO carry out that
kind of pretense.
The public should know that con
gress IS overorganized with standing
committees that do no work, whereas
the basis should be efficiency, with the
(Continuad ~, Doro 4 -