The Washington herald., 1918-02-01

Not all the ravages of the red-tape
worms are confined to the War De-
partment.
There are some in the Navy Depart
ment. and there are a great many in
the other departments of the govern
ment.
1t is to be hoped they will all be
eradicated eventually as a result OF
the remedies forced upon the War
Department by Congressional pre-
scription.
1t has been pointed out, in fact,
that the other departments should
profit by this. and that before spring
comes every governmental depart
ment should have an overhauling.
Congress itself is not free, by any
means. There are still some anti
quated forms prevailing there. The
members would do well to clean them
while they are insisting upon the
cleaning Of all other departments.
The movement should be started at
once for a red-tapeless day, and make
it every workday in the week. It
should prevail in all the departments
OF government. We have been upon
a peace basis so long we do not know
how to run on a war basis. 1t is time
to have a general overhauling, from
cellar to garret, and If not recon-
mending revolutionary changes. in
the procedure of all the departments,
the heads should at least see that the
work is better organized with the re-
sources and the machinery at hand.
There is a real work to do in this
respect-and. strange TO say. some OF
the departments which do not figure
L., - H..
begun to make over" their depart
ments.
1t is time to do so. high time. And
phasized here.
We have put down two points, in
this connection, which We want to
give to The Herald readers for their
thoughtful consideration.
First, we do not believe that the
policy of unlimited debate on any
proposition ever clarifies the subject
to men who do not understand it from
the first, nor does II ever aid in en-
tightening them as to the proper set
tlement of the problem contained
in it.
Second. We do not believe that the
policy of taking endless testimony OH
a bill, or of having boring hearings on
II, ever brings any more nearly cor
rect action than could be taken with
out those dull appendages.
In other words, the members could
go ahead with much legislation with
out giving IL more than perfunctory
consideration, and could do quite as
we'll as is now done with lengthy con-
sideration. On some of the more
vital principles, Of course. time is
needed-but oftentimes not the ex-
travagant amounts Of 1t that are
used.
Our conclusion Is that Congress
could hurry ahead with an immense
amount of its routine work. and could
dispose of much of its real construc-
tive work in far less time than is
now taken, with no appreciable loss
TO the country.
Congress very properly points out
the defects in the other branches of
government and is to be commended
for it. But Congress has a few de-
fects of its own which it would be
highly proper to remedy az this very
time.
Newton d. Baker is not the only
Cabinet member to receive endorse
ment lately. AS a blow to the
thousands and thousands of knock
ers of the Postoffice Department
the President the other day sent in
TO the Senate the name of Mr.. Bur-
Lesson for re-appointment to the
postoffice headship.
The Senate promptly confirmed
the nomination-but had battle
been waged upon it there would
have been a gladsome chorus of
"amens" from one end of the nation
to the other.
The fact is, the truth about the
operation of the Postoffice Depart
ment has never reached the Presi-
dent.
The President doesn't know what
Is wrong there--and never has
known. Some of the most insidious
defects of the department are
thought by the President to be
strong points. in fact-for, as IL has
been pointed out with regard to
some other departments, the Presi-
dent gets his ideas of Postoffice De-
partmental operation from Mr.. Bur-
Lesson himself.
The Senate played politics in the
matter, however-with q Demo
cratic majority in the Senate it
never, never would have, done for
that Democratic majority to oppose
a name submitted to 1t by the Pres
Ident for his own cabinet. No, no.
indeed, that would have been the
height of political insult. Besides.
had the Germans heard of IT it
might have encouraged them
though probably II they know any