The Washington herald., 1918-02-07

After the war We are to recon-
struct our entire industrial system.
There will be less time then for
some OF the foolish and vain battles
we have been waging between capital
and labor. The people are going to
provide the ways and means whereby
everything will be done in their in
terests. and nothing will be done for
any selfish interest.
And this revolutionary change Wilt
be effected without so much as chang
ing, by one phase, the right of the
individual to hold property and to
prosper when he can do so by the
exercise of good business judgment,
! and by going about his business with
alertness.
When this time comes. of course,
| those who work for the public. as
well as those who work for them
selves or for big concerns will profit
by the change. They will have ample
pay for what they do and they will
give ample service in return. And
they will have ample time TO spend
with heir families. and they will
have multitude of conveniences and
| necessities that the ordinary family
didn't dream of when this war brok.
out.
Just a hint of some phases Of the
subject are given in one of Sampel
GompeTs' recent assaults on the at
titude of Representative Borland on
the work CT employees OF the Agri-
cultural Department. In this he
pointed to the eventual solution for
some of our practical needs by say
ing:
Because of the long delay of Con-
gress in establishing a pension sys-
tenn for government employees, we
are following the uneconomical and
inefficient system of retaining en-
ployes no longer able to furnish their
best ability. though receiving high
est pay. because of seniority.
There ought also to be agencies
for adjusting difficulties that arise in
the course of work between clerks
and their chiefs to provide for dis
Cussion of conflicting claims and con-
| ficting purposes. and TO furnish a
permanent means whereby those who
are working can express their ideas
and their demands in regard to things
that concern themselves as well as
the service.
Efficiency and economy in govern
men: service, as in all other kinds
| Of work. will result only from organ
iZation-organiZation of the work, Or
ganization Of employees, so as to bring
| out the best that Is in them, and for
the development of a spirit of hui
manii!' cooperation and democracy.
The tendency in all government work
has been toward the establishment of
| a burear cratic system and all of the
evils ami pernicious effects of a bu-
reaucratic system. Sooner or later
the spirit of autocrccy that is inher-
ent in such a system crushes out the
| ambition, the individuality, the spon-
taneous spirit of work that ought
to be fostered in all employees as
invaluable for the attainment of high
est efficiency"
One of the splendid things about
Americas fight for the right of
democracics to live is the fact that
| our school system has been thrown
into the breach and now is doing a
vast work to help in actual war
work and some of those arts which
are needed farther back of the lines.
The educational leaders of the ma
tion have done much in these lines
and will do much more as time goes
on. They are just beginning to see
where they can be of vast assist
ance. The remuneration of some of
the theoretical pursuits with which
some of the educators have con-
tented themselves in the past, and
the energy with which they have
devoted themselves to the dread
business at hand, are more than
commendable. They show that deep
delving into vagaries and theories
has not entirely unrooted their
Americauism, and their basic love
for democratic institutions. Ameri-
canism is basic after all--it must
be II we are to survive as nation
and these educators give the best
evidence of the desirability of re-
fusing to check our national growth
of this quality.
The belief Is entertained among
some of the long time foes OF the
railroads that the hfghss officials