Evening star., 1920-11-28
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN

ny 4. GOULD LINCOLN
HE government of the United
States-meaning in this in
stance the executive depart
partments. bureaus and COM
missions-like Topsy. Just growed."
It has grown to such tremendous
it has become the latest objective of
the economy howlers. This charac-
terization is not used in an often
sive sense. for if the country is to
be saved from economic ruin the
economy howlers will play an i'm
portant part in the saving.
For years the public Treasury has
been considered fair game. But the
heavy taxes made necessary by the
war have walked people up to the
fact that 1t is time to turn over
new leaf. In consequence an effort
Is now going to be made by Congress
to put the government on business
basis. at least as far as efficiency ana
economy are concerned.
A series of bills is to be expected,
The first made public was that OF
Senator Mccormick Of Illinois. But
others are in the course Of prepara-
tton. The reorganization of the gov
ernment departments so as to elimi-
nate duplication of work is consid-
cred by. Senator Mccormick a COM
panion piece of the budget bill. which
will be enacted into law either at
/ the coming short session of Congress
or when the new administration and
! new Congress take hold next March.
! The Constitution of the United
| States was drafted with great care
| and has proved a great document in
the affairs of men. It has been
amended to meet changing conditions,
but very rarely. The Capital city OF
! the nation was laid out according to
plan. But the executive departments
have developed without any plan or
| any effort at correlation. When the
United States went into the world
| war. it was found that the President
was handicapped in the prosecution
of the war because OF the manner in
| which the functions Of government
were distributed, and the Overman
! thority to transfer this or that bureau
from one department to another
That he made little use of it was not
the fault of Congress.
Creation Of bepai tments.
When. George Washington. as the
first President, took charge of the
| executive end of the government and
formed his first cabinet. provision
| had been made by Congress for five
departments-State. Treasury. War
Justice and Post Office. The Navy De-
partment was established as a sepa-
rate department, with a cabinet Of
| icer at its head, in 1898, when John
| Adams was President. The next exec
| utive department to be organized. with
a cabinet officer at its head. was the
Interior Department, in 1S49. during the
administration Of Zachary Taylor.
No further department was estab-
lished on the same footing with the
| existing seven-headed by cabinet
of1cer-until Grover Cleveland be-
came President. In 1889 the Bureau
| Of Agriculture was expanded into a
full-fedged department, the justice to
agricultural interests in such a move
finally impressing itself upon Con-
gress.
Under President Theodore Roose-
velt the Department of Commerce
and Labor was first organized out OF
the bureau Of corporations. the bu-
reau Of manufactures and the bureau
Of labor. Its official title was the De-
partment of Labor. though it's head
was only Commissioner Of Labor
But commerce and labor were push
ling for recognition by the govern
ment. and in 1913, when Mr.. Wilson
became President there were finally
organized the separate departments
Commerce and Labor. each represent
ed in the Presidents cabinet.
| The tendencsy through the years
has been for the federal government
to become more and more centralized
! to become more and more paternal-
| istic. And as the government has
| grown stronger. the people have be-
come more and more accustomed to
! looking to it for aid in their various
lines Of endeavor. Here and there
bureaus, commissions and boards have
] been created to meet new needs. In
not a few instances the need for a
new government organ has appeared so
great that Congress has established
a separate organization. and those