The Washington herald., 1920-03-01
DEPLORES
CABINET HEADS
LACK OF POWER
In His Final Report, Critii-
cises Poor Organization
| OF Government.
TELLS OF REMEDY
Insurance Against Disabil-
ity and Quick Promo
ton Needed.
TELLS OF REMEDY

too poorly organized In Washington
to grapple successfully with the
great problems in it's hands, says
the final report % Franklin X. Lane,
retiring after seven years service as
Secretary of the Interior. which was
rendered to the President yesterday.
characterizing the Capital as rich
in brains and character, the retir-
ing Cabinet officer declares his Oh
servation has been that ability "a
pressed to a point of paralysis be-
cause of an infinitude OF detail and
anwillingness OF the great body Of
public servants to take responsible
ity.
Everyone seems TO be aIraii of
everyone" he states.
The self-prOtective sense is 6e-
veioped abnormaliy. the creative
sense atrophies. Trust. coincidence.
: enthusiasm-these simple virtues of
all great businesses are the ones
most lacking IN government org an
| iSation.
Too Much Red Tape.
We have SO many checks and
brakes upon our work that our
progress does not keep pace with
the nations requirements. We
could save money for he govern
ment If we had more discretion as
to how we should ues that given
us"
Lane ventures the opinion that
doubled salaries would be a means
OF bringing home to high admins
tratiye officials the responsibility
resting with them.
For the body of civil servants"
he asserts, there hsould be a
quicker promotion or discharge and
sure insurance when disability
comes. For the higher administra-
itiSeTofiieers- there siruufd pe7s,Taries
ltwice a shlgh as those now given
and they hould be made to feel that
they arc the same ones responsible
for the work of the department; /;
the head being merely an adviser
and a constructor of policies"
: Adding emphasis to his assertion.
in effect, that too many details are
cluttering up government machin-
cry, the retiring secretary goes on
to say that "as matters are now
devised there are too few in tho
government whose business il is to
plan"
Every man Is held to details, to
the narrower view, which comes too
often to be the department view
or some sort of parochial view. We
need for the day that is upon us
men who have little to do but
study the problems of the time and
test their capacity at meeting them
Nued Opportunity.
In a word, We need more oppor-
/ tunity for planning, engineering
statesmanship above and more fixed
authority and responsibility below '
Lane descriges Washington as "a
| combination of political caucus
drawing room and civil service bu-
reaus," containing Statesmen who
i are politicians and politicians who
| arc not statesmen" But despite
the Capitals great wealth of high
intelligence and character, and a
general Dim to be honest beyond
/ any commercial standard, the Cali
fornian declares his opinion that
fewer men. but of larger capacity
/ could conduct Uncle Sans govern
ment more efficiently than now is
the case.
Among recommendations made in
/ his report Secretary Lane urges
that a great national university be
established in Washington, in which
! would be centralized the learning
and Intelligence of the nation.
1t should be a university not
fashioned and organized after the
style of Harvard, Yale or Columbia
in which the youth are taught, he
says, but great heart for all the
schools and universities in the land
in which the thought OF America
and the world would-head.
"It should be a university" Lane
explains. for scholars and teachers
and all men and women interested
| in the special themes with which II
| would from time to time deal. II
should have no faculty and no SCI
year. But throughout the year
! those most distinguished in certain
| branches of knowledge should be
brought here to give of their learn
! ing to a body of students interested
especially in those certain subjects
Educational Clearing.
One vital purpose Of the univer,
sity would be the quick dissemina-
tion to all parts of the country oi
the latest revelations in science and
| the newest methods in the arts
coming first-hand from the master
IA few thousands dollars would
make a beginning for such an in
stitution. Lane declares, and he ex-
presses the hope that some day
Congress will enable the Interior
Department to make Washington
the school confer of the country.
In urging that Washington be
made the clearing house for the
| best methods in teaching, Lane
points out that 1t now requires from
ten to twenty years for ideas to
; pass from one State to another, be-
cause there IL ~ influence. no one
central authority whichc can make
known to all the schools the dis
coveries made by few.
while Federal control of schools
would be a curse, he says, because
the inevitable effect of Federal con-
| troll Is to standardize. Secretary
1 Lane points out that I'VE might
! perhaps do something less for our
girls than we do for our hogs and
cotton without straining the Con-
lstitution or bankrupting the Treas