Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-10
War Shows Need
of Brains in u. S.
Dy Frederic J. HnaR1n

Washington. D. c. De-. Tone Of tn
poaAsst innovations which the war has
Brought 70 America is tho e.neral 10 ol
rcally first-oaA1 brains IN tho business oi
government.
Ono cf tho most vital leesom which the
American people must learn from the war
II the importance Of having such brains
employed in their government, and of
paying for such brains, what they are
woYth-or what is neoeonry to get them.
Il il not too much 10 say. in the opinion
of authoritative students Of the question,
that the future Of the country depends
upon the payment OF more adequate
salaries to the men who conduct ita bust
ne0.
| Everyone knows tha& our participation
! in the war could not hAve been the bril-
liant success it WINS 4 = grnat many men,
who would never have entered govern
ment Office except IN ar-tirne, had not
laid down their busaner5es and come TO
| Washington. Almost every ono Of the
great wartime organizations Food
and Fuel Administrations, the War In
| dustries Board and the Council Of Ma
tional Defense headed by and com
posed largely Of men who would never
4 u1VE ENVcrEu lp11biCs Esb'AbuEss
HREp BRAINS IN PgAcy.
The work of reconstruction calls for
brains nf inst ~ high a. order as the work
of making war. America cannot afford
TO 10 back to the regime of government
by iov-salaried professional politicians
IL ahe is to maintain the standards of
national efficiency and the position of
international Importance which she has
attained during the WAL.
But the men who came here At great
sacrifice and ~ . patriotic duty are going
home every day. The government Offers
them no permanent career, no adequate
reward. This Is The thing that must be
changed.
Not only have few men d the highest
ability entered the government service
in the past, but those few havs nearly
ALWAYS feft IL again because Of the poverty
of the reward You may persuade men of
means. and even some mar without
means. 10 respond 70 great emergency
for small reward, but the only way to In
sure a steady supply Of 6rst-class brains
for any business d 70 pay what the brains
are worth.
This point has Just been driven home
by the resignation of Secretary McAdoo.
Whatever other motives or causes may
have lain behind his resignation, there IS
no doubt but what the need for more
money was one of them This man, who
had demonstrated to everyone's salts
faction that be had administrative abili-
ties of the very highest order, and fine
conscience IN public service, is actually
embarrassed by grocery bills.
VAS FORCED TO REsrdN.
Not long ago, Fitzgerald of New York,
who was then chairman OF the house COM
rnittec on appropriations, resigned for
the announced purpose OF making enough
money properly To educate nn cf1'dren-
There Was no other reason for his resIg
nation.
In the retirement 70 private life OF these
two men, the American people have lost
two of the best financial brains that have
been N the government service SINCE the
Civil War. Mr.. Fitzgerald 5 fight against
pork barrel methods on the house com
mittee vAe scarcely less valuable than MIR.
McAdoo's long headed and resouroefui
MANAGEMENT of the Treasury Depart
ment. Each of these men has saved the
country millions Either of them would
be a bargain at $50, 600 a year--a profit
able national investment. One OF them
received 81 500 and the other receives
sI2. 900. These salaries were inadequate
for men In Official positions before the war.
Since the war, the purchasing value OF
dollar In Washington has declined between
so and 40 per cent.
Everywhere IN the government service
the story is the same. The guvernmcnt
employs scientists OF all sorts IL pays
them from three TO FIVE thousand dollars
a wear, e.ch Many men OF hrst-r2te
abilities remain for these amounts, be
cause many scientists work more for love
of work than for money, and unless he
also possesses business brains OF a high
order. a scientist cannot make much
money anyhow.
Yet the government Is constantly los
ing some of its very best scientific brains,
lust as it loses its best administrative
brains. For example, the du Pont Powder
Company is converting some OF It's great
ammunition factories mt food factories.
1t needs food experts. tt is getting them
from the Department of Agrlctllture-by
offering them about twice what the gov
ernment pays them.
SERVICE pEPLETElS LABOR.
This thing is happening all the time
In u certain western State, the law COM
pei the owners Of great timber ctraots
10 DIEskl1bS - "
fires. This forestry service, maintained
by an association of timber owners, takes
away from the United States Govern
ment, some of its best scientific foresters.
The war Was won because the admins
tration was able 10 bring TO its assistance
some of the best brains IN America. Peace
is being made on the same basis. The
Presidents peace expedition with its
% experts and its tons of maps and manu-
scripts is typical of the new method.
Ignorance audexpediency have given place
TO exact scientific knowledge and to fore
thought In the conduct OF national affairs.
Reconstruction must proceed by the
same method. Every project of recon
struction calls fer administrative brains
of the very best, and for exact scientific
knowledge. 1t seems TO be agreed ON sil
hands that whatever is done with the
railroads., they must not 90 back To the
condition of enforced competition and
conflicting regulation by State and ma
tional governments. Regulation must be I
uniform and enlightened. That means a +
commission of experts of the highest /
type possibly several regional Conmis-
sions. Ii means that the government must |
pay for its railroad administrative brains !
as much as the railroads are willing 10 pay, I
il the new regulation or control is to be- an
intelligent cooperation between govern
ment and capital.
The great project of the Interior De
partment to provide lands for soldiers by q