Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-05-18
by WALTER EVANS EDGE.
Standardized from New Jersey.

BY WALTER EVANS EDGE.
ESPITE a personal appeal for
a democratic Congress by the
President of the United
States. and that during the
war period. when a favorable response
to almost any suggestion from the
commander in chief might reasonably
have been expected as the patriotic
verdict of loyal American people. the
American people refused the request.
.denied the appeal of the President.
and elected a republican majority in
both houses of Congress.
This adverse decision. at a time
when the President had the great tao
teal advantage of complete control Of
all the departments and activities of
the government, and autocratic super
vision never before permitted in the
history of our country. decisively
either popular lack of confidence and
disapproval of the democratic party's
administration of the war. or. popular
conviction. based on the assumption
| of early peace. that the republican
party was better equipped TO admins
| readjustment
Perhaps the verdict was brought
about by a combination of both rea-
sons and we will assume this to be
! the case.
Avoid Captious Criticism.
Following the election. public at
tention naturally focused upon the
peace conference in Paris. and for
the past few months the main con-
sideration. and naturally so. has been
Americas final position with the rati-
fication of a treaty of peace and an
alliance of nations of the world TO
maintain peace. 1t is assumed that
| this peace treaty with a league of
nations must be disposed of during
the next few months. Assuming, fur
Their. that the republican party will
ratify peace treaty with a league
of nations which. they must deter
mine, will properly protect the SOW
ereignty and assure the prosperity of
our people, it must be apparent to all
students of the situation that the re-
publican party in power must, there
fore. devote itself to meriting the con-
ffdence expressed by the people last
November, which confidence related
in nowise to the treaty of peace, but
rather to the problems of reconstruc-
ton.
A proper non-partisan expose Of
prepare for a solid building for the
future, is justified. This, however,
should not be in the spirit of captious
criticism, because blunders were I'M
avoidable in assuming the tremendous
responsibilities of the past two years,
but where such blunders are inter-
fering with proper peace-time de-
! velopment, and where they are indi-
catf~e of the incapacity of depart
| mental administration. they. of course,
! must be exposed and Immediately cor
rected. But where the republican
party is expected to function, and can
function, is not alone in calling at
tention to the blunders of others, but
in putting into effect-immediate eff
fect-the remedy for domestic prob
lens and in constructing a solid
American people. reorganization of
business government.
Reorganization Of Government.
Again, accepting the mandate of the
the great federal machine is demand
ed, in order that it be responsive to
the demands of the times, and that
obvious waste and extravaganza, bur-
dening all classes of our citizenship,
be eliminated. The republican party
should adopt as its slogan, "Construc-
tive Domestic REIMBURSEMENT" which
means. in effect, that the federal gov
eminent shall be organized as a bust
ness organization, with budget and
complete supervision of expenditures,
with a revision of the method of Sc
curing income, and a complete turn
ing on of the light" on departmental
extravagances. In modelling a gov
eminent along these lines of sue
CoSSlul private puStHcSS, commence
will be restored, sterilization of in
dustrial condition will follow, and the
country will the more quickly return
to a pre-war basis.
Washington. today, is burdened
with boards, commissions and depart
ments. 1t has been said that there
are more than 500 separate organiza-
tions and many suborganizations of
the 500, and that the relation between
them is so vague and indefinite that
there is practically no cooperation.
Business stands still, not knowing
tainty of their tickle and contradic-
tory policies" The overlapping
process. which is not only expensive
and burdensome. but Intellectual from
the standpoint of results, was never
better illustrated than during the
war, when national council Of de-
tense and various departments and
commissions were attempting to do
one and the same thing at the same
time. 1t is going to be very difficult
to disassociate many of these officials
from their positions. The wedding
out, concentrating process is unpopu-
lar, especially with the jobholder.
The only way to rebuild the structure
in Washington is to follow, without
fear or favor, the policy adopted in
some of the states recently Of provid-
ing legislation which will, at one
swoop, consolidate and combine nu-
merous boards and commissions into
centralized authority, which central
lied authority must be responsible to
the head of the government. And in
this regard may I impersonally direct
attention to the example in New Jer-
sey?
Budget System Urged.
The President of the United States,
In association with the other execu-