New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-03-21
-
Governor of Illino;s
Began Life as
Poor Boy

organized on business lines and m
the useless expenses of administp1
ton cut off. Millions of dollsr
could be saved and cut off the taxex
the people have to pay.
Has No Panacea
81 have no panacea for this coun.
try, but all the taxes Of everv kinA
are passed onto the people and 81
the time they reach the people thev
have been doubled or trebled in 90
ing through the middlemen. Cut
the costs of government admins
tration and you cut taxes. Cut taxa
and you cut the cost of living"
He said in one of his recent
speeches:
Glow important it is in these ex.
travagant days that we should begin
to apply some of the principles Of
modern business to the greatest
business of all-the business Of our
government. Business everywhere
has often changed its methods
Banking and manufacturing have
been revolutionized perhaps q half
dozen times since our Constitution
was adopted. Agriculture has IN.
dergone complete transformation
since my own boyhood days on the
farm.
"In the government alone we
have made no progress at all. V@e
are famous the world over for the
triumphs and achievements of indi-
viduals in private enterprise. Isn't
it about time that We give some at
tention to the public business, be-
cause it affects every other business
and every individual in this coun-
try! We talk much about readjust-
ment and reconstruction. want to
tell you that the place to begin to
readjust and reconstruct is at Wash.
lngton, if we would return to nor.
NAL conditions. This can be dons
only by the application to govern.
ment Of business principles"
Retained Democrats
Lowden is a Republican. The
superintendent of charities and the
assistant superintendent of char
ties in Illinois are Democrats. hoM-
overs from Governor DUNES aa.
ministration because they were the
most efficient men to be found for
the places. The director of the
department of public health is a
Democrat, because the best man for
the place happened to be a Demo
crat. =.
"It is easy enough to pick men,
says Governor Lowden. "You con,
slider the job you want done and You
make up your mind you want it done
right. ~Then you look around for
the best man there is to do that job
right and you go get him. You don't
think about paying a debt, political
or any other kind, by giving out tie
job. You think about getting the
job done right and then you get the
right man.
"When wanted a director Of The
department of public welfare
went to the chairman of the board
of directors of Montgomery Ward
& Co. in Chicago. He didn't want
to come. He had to give up his bus
ness and give up making a lot Of
money to come. But didn't Ii
him alone until he came, and h
gave up his business in Chicago and
a big income there and his hone
and moved to Springfield and has
been on the job ever since"
As to Minds e
do you feel that you must have
in your cabinet men whose minds
willingly run along with yours?"
eff you have puppet he won't
be any good and he won't be able to
do his job. But if you know yoW
job and he knows his job, the JOB
you want him to do, your minds w7I
run together without any trouble"
81 had in mind President Wilson'S
letter disnnissing Secretary Ian
sing"
ooh, that was nonsense"
''In your appointments do wa
look for the men you want in poh'
tics or business life?"
Governor Lowden recounted .
conversation with a man who Is one
of the great figures in American
public life.
- eve were talking about Presidest
Taft's Cabinet" he said, "and my
companion remarked, If were
making up a Cabinet I would not
have man in it who had not had
experience in Congress
political experience doesn't huFt
me light man." continued Governor