Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-07

citadels of financial freedom where every
citizen has an equal right and where the
principle that the credit of American
business shall be free is the basis of ad-
ministration- Every citizen should be
alert to guard this great institution which
is his guarantee of credit independence. 1t
should be kept from the hands of those
who have never been its friends, and who
by changes in few obscure phrases
could translate il into n greater power for
evil than it ever has been for good. II is
almost unnecessary to speak OF the
Federal Reserve system IN connection
with the winning of the war, AS, next to
the conservation of our manhood and
womanhood itself, the greatest factor was
the marshalling into one unit through
the Federal Reserve banks of the stu
pendous wealth of America. To those Of
vision who look out beyond our shores
into that commercial domain where we
are so Justly entitled to enter in time OF
peace, latent power of the Federal Re-
serve system can be seen promoting III
every quarter of the globe an ever
widening flow of American commerce.
We will soon have merchant marine
fleet of IL 100000 tons aggregate, every
ship flving the American flag and carry
ing in American bottoms the products
of mill and mine and factory and farm.
This would seem to be guarantee OF
continued prosperity. Our facilities for ex-
change and credit, however, in foreign
ports, should be enlarged and under the
federal reserve system, banks should be
established in important trading CEN
ters. | am impressed also, with the inn
portance of improving, If not reorganlz-
ing our consular service. The certain in
crease in foreign trade would seem to
demand it. This suggests another change.
Our ambassadors TO foreign countries
have had assigned to them military and
q naval attache. The staff should be en-
largcd so as TO include an officer OF the
government whose exclusive duty would
be to make observation and report de-
velopment and improvement in educa-
tional and social problems generally.
BUDGET SYSTEM FAVORED.
Government bureaus during the war
had close contact with the business or
ganization Of the country. That ex-
pcrience revealed the modern need OF
reorganization along purely business lines.
The advantages of democracy IN gov
ernmcnt need not be reeounted. lt has
been held by experts that 1t involves the
disadvantage of disbursements, author
lied bv the law-making power without
sufficient knowledge of the need of the
service, or the possibilities of extrava-
pance. The answer To this is the budget
system No successful business enter
prise Of any sige can operate without IT.
For n hundred wears, the federal unit
and the States as well, made appropria-
tions without determining the difference
between department need and caprice
at the same time, paying little attention
10 the relation as between income and
expense. Many of the States have adopted
a budget system, and with success that
carries no exception Efficiency has been
improved departmental responsibility
has been centered. and economies have
been effected, The same can be done
by the federal government. The system
will reveal at once. as II did IN the states
vast surplusage Of employees. 1t awakens
individual interest, encourages greater
effort, and gives opportunity Tor talent
10 assert itself The normal course, OF
least resistance, develops in government
bureaus a hardpan, which retards nro-
press. When the reorganization is made
paw should be commensurate with ser
vice. Many federal departments whose
have lost valuable men to business. ThiF
had badly crippled postofhces, the rail-
wav mail service and other branches.
am convinced after considerable
study of the subject that the expense OF
the government can, without loss OF
efficiency. be reduced to a maximum OF
four billion dollars, including sinking
fund and interest on the national debt
When we enter the League of Nations, WI
should at the same time diminish our cost
for armament. To continue expenditure
in either the war or the navy department.
on n vast scale. once our membership II
! the League is assured would seem TO b'
a very definite refutation of the advant
ages Of the world plan which we believ'
il possesses. An appealing Fundamental
in the league method. is the reduction o
ornaments We cannot afford to do it
until other nations do likewise If w
do not enter the league, hundreds o
millions of dollars must be spent for ar
maments If we 60 in, and ! believe the
people will insist on it, then we can count
/ on economies.
REPUBLICAN PLATFORM SILENT ON WIN
MING OF WAR
Since the last national convention
of the two great parties, world war hal
been fought, historic, unprecedented. fo
many, many months, civilization hung II
the balance In the depair OF dark hours
it seemed as though a world dictator wa
inevitable, and that henceforth men ano
women who had lived In freedom woulC
stand at attention, In the face of the draw
sword of military autoeracy. The very
soul of America was touched as neve
before with fear that our liberties were
to be taken away. What America did, needs
no reiteration here. 1t is known of all men
History will acclaim it-poets will find Il
an inspiration throughout the ages
And vet there is not line III the Repub
lcan platform that breathes an emotion
of pride, or recites our national achieve
ment. In fact, if man from Mars wer,
to depend upon the Republican platform
or its spoken Interpretation, by the can
didate of that party, as his trst means o
informationm he would rot find syllabl,
telling him that the war had been won
and that America had saved the world
How ungenerous, how ungraclous all o
this is: how unfair that q mere group o
leaders should so demean themselves IL
the name Of the party of Lincoln and Nc
Kinley and Roosevelt.
The discourtesy to the President is al
affair of political intrigue. History vii
make il odious. AS well might it be di
rected ut a wounded soldier of the war
One fell in the trench; the strength
of the other was broken in the
enormous labors of his Office But other.