The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-03-01
LESS MEN, MORE
BRAINS NEE DED
..2!.sG! !! AREs.LANE
Retiring Secretary Says Wash
ington Is Poorly Organized
HAMPERED BY RED TAPE
Public Servants Afraid to Take Res
possibility and Lacking In
Initiative

Washington, Feb. 29 (By the AS
sociated Press)-Ofiicial Wash ngton,
a combination of political caucus,
drawing room and civil service bur-
eaus," containing statesmen who are
polit. clans and politicians who are not
statesmen" is poorly organized for it's
task which fewer men of la. ger cap
acity would do BETTER
Such is an epitome of the views of
Franklin X. Lane, retired secretary Of
the inter or, expressed in a character
istic parting repo- TO the President on
the occasion of leaving public life to-
day after more than 20 years service
the last seven in the cabinet The
retiring secretary says:
Washington is r.ch in bra MS and
character, 1t is honest beyond any
commercial standard. 1t wishes to do
everything that will promote the pub
lie good. But is is poorly o. ganized
for the tasks that belong TO it. Fewer
men of larger capacity would do the
task better. Ability is not lacking but
it is pressed to the point of paralysis
because of an infinitude of details and
an unwillingness on the part of the
great body of public servants to take
responsibility. Everyone seems to be
afraid of everyone. The self-protective
sense is developed abnormally, the
creative sense atrophies. T.ust, con-
fidence, nthusiasm--these simple vir-
tues of all great business are the ones
most lacking in government organiza-
tion. We have so many checks and
brakes upon our work that our pro-
gress does not keep pace with the ma
tions requirements.
I'VE could save money for the gov
ernment II we had more discretion as
to how we should use that given us.
For the body of the civil servants there
should be quicker promotion or dis
charge and sure insurance when dis
ability comes. For the higher adminis-
trative officers there should be salar-
les twice as high as those now given,
and they should be made to feel that
they are the ones responsible for the
work of the department; the head
being merely an adviser and a con-
st.uctor of policies. AS matters are
hOn 0OfioNQ liCtC eNA wv iSW III IhS
government whose business ii 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 here and upon US
men who have little to do but study
the problems of the time and test their
capacity at meeting them.
In word we need more opportuni-
ty for planning, engineering, states
|manship above, and more fixed authori-
ty and responsibility below"
Describing the interior department
as IAN abiding place for a group of
unrelated governmental agencies"
the retiring secretary characterlzes it
none the less as "the most distinctive
ly American" of al 1.-The departments,
and reviews briefly the aims and ac-
complishments of his administration,
some of the former unrealized. Con-
struction of the Alaskan railroad, open
ing of Alaskan coal lands by a leasing
system, water power development leg
islation. and leasing system of oil
and mineral lands of the public do
main are enumerated among the latter.