The sun., 1919-08-24

would be the last 10 oecllne.
I'm other words, II the plan works
and It will work II the public be-
comes interested and cooperates--
labor will be the direct and immediate
beneficiary. The determination that
wages shall be the last to be read
jrsted will insure this.
',But we must strike very deep into
the roots of our present day practices
II we are to correct the evil of uncon-
trolled profiteering and achieve equi-
table distribution of those commodities
in which all Americans have a right
to share and which 1t is our obligation
to supply In as great quantity as lies
within our power to those less fortu-
nate than We upon the oceans other
side.
"As a matter OF fact we suffer In
America from incompetent admins
tration, and in saying this am strik-
ing at no one branch Of our Govern
ment. What is true OF our most i'm
portant Federal departments is as true
Of our least important local branches
OF community management We dc
not study governmental problems
carefully enough fairly enough; we
make the essentials Of our national
existence party matters. Too often
the politician, riding into office on the
crest Of some reform wave, avails
himself Of the psychology of the mo-
ment to advocate in glittering gen.
eralities and perhaps with absolute
distortion of fact some momentarily
popular movement which upon final
analysis promises no benefit to the
| community.
Good Men In Government.
1--WE have good men in Government
especially among the rank and file
but they are unframed and as likely
to succeed as unframed volunteers
would be II, armed with scythes ant
pocket knives, they were told e
charge a trench held by well equipped
veterans Of the great war. We mus
eliminate the politicians from our pub
lie offices, especially from those deal
ing with our fundamental economic
problems, and for them substitute ex
perts at least as competent as thost
which private Or corporate enterprises
demand for like tasks.
1--WE must not forget that there wal
much good in some Of the processes
which Germany had worked out. Sh'
had recognized, long before the vNr
the fact that places in the administra
ton of public affairs must be filled a
carefully and by men as well trainet
as college faculties or the staff lists oi
the greatest OF industrial enterprises
Under existing circumstances in tn
United States q private citizen o
marked ability can Ill afford to accep
public ONCE, for the rewards OF public
service are too small and tenure to
uncertain.
"The amazing thing Is that we hav
done as well as We have done In tn
circumstances we have tolerated an
with the methods we have followed
In my own State, California, the his
Etory Of colonization and land subdi
vision schemes is almost without eS
! ceptior, one OF disastrous and tragi
events; the records of the. Unite
States Reclamation Service through
out the West indicate that not unit
the land passes into the hands Of tn
third owner is the venture of its re
demption from waste crowned will
success
"All through our Government run
this thread Of inefficiency, and tn
economic situation which develops 4
the crisis following the wars end onl
reveals II to those who previousl
have not noted 1t, because in day
which we had learned to think wer
normal we had not suffered too muc
and, being very busy. had not com
planned so very bitterly or studie
very carefully.
I'VE have been forced by war I
take thought Of these things. and thi
may have been the best thing tina
, could happen to US. Instances Of ey
, traordinary extravaganza are not un
: usual in American public expenditnr
land management even when there ar