The Topeka state journal., 1918-12-10
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
Blu RE AU
BRAINS IN THE CAPITAL.
Washington, d. c.


Washington. D. c., Dec. 7.-One of
war has brought to America 10 the
general use Of really first-class brains
in the business of government.
One of the most vital lessons which
the American people must learn from
the war is the Importance of having
such brains employed in their govern
ment and Of paying for such brains
what they are worth-or what Is nee
essary to get them.
1t is not too much to 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 it's business.
Everyone knows that our participa-
ton in the war could not have been
the brilliant success it was If a great
many men, who would never nave
entered government office except in
wartime, had not laid down their
businesses and come to Washington.
Almost every one of the great war
time organizations-the food and fuel
administrations, the war industries
board and the council of national de-
fense-were headed by and composed
largely of men who would never have
entered politics in peace time.
The work of reconstruction calls for
brains of just as high as order as the
work of making war. America can
not afford to go back to the regime
of government by low-salaried profess
sional politicians if she is to main
tain the standards of national eff
cheney and the position of inter-
national importance which she has at
tanned during the war.
But the men who came here at
great sacrifices and as a patriotic duty
are going home every day. The gov
ernment offers them no permanent
career, no adequate reward. This Is
the thing that must be changed.
Not only have a few men Of the
highest ability entered the govern
ment service in the past, but those few
have nearly always left it again be-
cause of the poverty of the reward
You may persuade men Of means, and
even some men without means, to re-
spond sto a great emergency for
small reward, but the only way to in
sure a steady supply of first class
brains for any business is to pay what
the brains are worth.
This point has just been driven
home by the resignation of Secretary
McAdoo. Whatever other motives OF
causes may have lain behind his
resignation. there is no doubt but
the need for more money was
one of them. This man, who had
ton that he had administrative abili-
ties of the very highest order. and q
fine conscience in public service, Is
actually embarrassed by grocery bills
Not long ago Fitzgerald of New
York, who was then chairman Of the
house committee on appropriations
resigned for the announced purpose
OF making enough money properly to
educate his children. There was nc
other reason for his resignation.
In the retirement to private life o.
these two men, the American people
have lost two of the best financia
brains that have been in the govern.
ment service since the Civil war. Mr.
Fftzgerald's fight against pork-barre
methods on the house committee wa!
scarcely less valuable than Mr.. Nc
Adoo's 1ong-headed and resourcefu
management of the treasury depart
ment. Each of these men has save(
the country millions. Either of then
would be a bargain at fifty thousand
dollars a year-a profitable nationa
investment. One of them received
$500 and the other receives $4,000
These salaries were inadequate fol
men in official positions before thu
war. Since the war. the PURCHASING
value of a dollar in Washington haI
declined between 80 and 40 per cent.
Everywhere in the government
service the story is the same Th'
government employs scientists of al
sorts 1t pays them from three to fiv'
thousand dollars a year each. Man.
men of first rate abilities remain TO
these amounts, because many scient
lists work more for love of work thai
| for money, and unless he also pos
sesses business brains of high order
| a scientist cannot make much none.
anyhow. Yet the government is con
stantly losing some Of its very bes
| scientific brains, Just as 1t loses 1t
| best administrative brains. For ex
ample, the Dupont Powder Compan.
| is converting some of its great am
| les. 1t needs food experts. 1t is get
| ting them from the department o
| agriculture-by offering them abou
| twice what the government pays them
This thing is happening all tn
| time. In a certain western state tn
| ber tracts to organize a forestry serv
| ice to prevent fires. This forestr
| service, maintained by an association
| of timber owners. takes away from
the United States government some o
| it's best scientific foresters.
The war was won because the ad
| ministration was able to bring to it
assistance some of the best brains Il
| America Peace is being made on tn
same basis. The presidents peace ex
| pedition with it's twenty-three expert
and it's tons of maps and manuscripts
| is typical of the new method. Igno
rance and expediency have give
place to exact scientific knowledg
| and to forethought in the conduct o
| national Affairs.
Reconstruction must proceed by tn
same method. Every project of re
! construction calls for administrativ
brains of the very best, and for exao
scientific knowledge. 1t seems to b
agreed on all hands that. whatever !
Adone with the railroads, they must nc
go back to the condition of enforce
competition and conflicting regula
ton by state and national govern
ments. Regulation must be uniforr
and enlightened. That means a CON
mission of experts of the highest typ
possibly several regional commits
SionS 1t means that the goYefnmer