The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1918-02-07
PRESIDENTS BILL
TENDS TO GREATER
WAR EFFICIENCY
= By DAVID LAWRENCE.
CONTINUED from First Page. J

continued from FIRST rage
labored to spread the idea that it
wanted to do no more than uphold
The hands OF the President by giving
him experienced aides.
Mr.. Wilson doesn't want the kind
Of a war cabinet or council the Con-
EFess wants to give him. Out OF the
CuIlness of his experience in the last
nine months. he thinks that instead
. OF creating more offices with specific
powers and restrictions, there ought
20 be fewer specifications and more
latitude for existing officials and
their bureaus. The complaint that
no one has authority to decide pri-
Gritty is due, indeed, to the fact that
The statutes have hitherto been all
100 explicit about the manner in
which authority could be exercised.
Red tape is as much due to Congress
sional restriction as to traditional
habits Of administration.
Have Not Gone 10 Bottom
Unfortunately, I'm the effort to dis
credit Secretary Baker personally, the
senate Military Affairs Committee
hasn't gone to the bottom Of govern
mental inefhciency, hasn't sought to
inquire into the competency OF the
different members of the Army Gen
eral Stan and the bureau heads. The
main trouble at Washington is in per
sonnet. And 1t is on this that criti-
cism should be constantly fixed so
hat responsibility for errors may be
always located definitely. All the war
cabinets in the world will not make
possible an efficient organization Of
subordinates unless discipline and
punishment are applied to the system
itself. And the system itself has been
he result of too much statutory in
limidation. Money is not expended
without endless red tape. Decisions
are not made without hours of exam
nation of appropriation laws.
But neither the Presidents bill nor
The measure proposed by Senator
chamberlain and his associates for
war cabinet will prevail Mr.. Wilson
probably would be the last TO admit
that he would compromise. So would
the Senate committee. But the his
tory of all the Wilson legislation in
the last five years has been one of
sharp differences at first between the
Executive and Congress, amendments
presumably on details and never on
principle. And usually Mr.. Wilson ap-
pears to come out on top. That is
what will happen again only, Do
litically speaking. If any of the men,
. hers OF the eSnate think they have an
issue for the next political campaign
in the refusal of Mr. Wilson to accept
a war cabinet, he has just furnished
much more dangerous one for them
all
In their eagerness TO be patriotic,
most OF the members OF Congress
cried out last summer that they
would stand by the President" II
they refuse the request of the Presi-
dent for power which he, as Com
handkerchief of the Army and
Of
fectiVe prosecution of the war, they
will have to be prepared to assume
The responsibility for future errors.
Mr. Wilson will always be able to
; rharge that executive embarrass
. ments are due TO legislative restric-
lion and the Congressional red tape Of
ycre.
Times Different.
II the President had asked for
: broad powers last summer such as he
requested yesterday, Congress would
have given them ungrudginEly for
hat body was in an amiable mood.
But Mr.. Wilson hasn't the confidence
uf all parties in Congress to the same
Iemarkable extent that he had last
year chiefly because some of his ap-
pointments have not been happy. DR..
'isrfield's management of the coal
situation has done as much to shake
. he confidence of Congress in Mr..
. Wilson's ability to pick men as any
other factor in recent months. In a
sense the President is responsible for
all the errors of his subordinates, es-
, pecially If he hesitates to remove Of
ficials OF proved incompetency. Sum
mary dismissal of laundering officials
not only would put the entire body
of subordinates on their mettle and
remedy the existing system, but
would make Congress more inclined
10 grant the President the powers
ne now requests. There will in the
end be q bill that will be worked
out in committee and conference. II
probably will not resemble either the
Presidents proposal or the Senate
Committees bill. Mr.. Wilson's sug-
Eestion OF legislation. revealing de-
sire TO reOrEanize, is but a step to-
ward greater cooperation and great
or efficiency in conducting the war.