Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-07-22
How Washington
Does Its Work
w. s. MANN

congressman themselves, who seem
TO think sometimes that their
branch of the government is "the
main works and that when 1t shuts
down for repairs or for play or for
politics-as is now the case, all the
wheels must stop.
Nothing of the kind. Congress Is
indeed a very necessary and essen
tial branch OF the government, but
far from being the whole thing.
In fact, the main business of con
Sress is to provide the means and
methods for the rest OF the govern
ment to run-and that remainder
functions all the ear round,
whether congress is in session or
not.
Just at present the rest of the
government is adjusting itself to
the new fiscal year, which began
July /, and the appropriations for
the current year became available.
rhe first thing the head of the de-
partment does is to look over the
appropriation act providing for his
department and calculate how much
money he has to spend within the
twefve-month and how 1t is divided
among the various branches. Mex,
how many clerks, employees, field
agents and assistants he has been
allowed.
Then he proceeds to cut the coat
of his activities according to the
cloth allotted him. And, strange to
say, there always seems to be
enough cloth to make out with,
somehow, no matter how the head
of the department may have walled
before the appropriations commit
tee that the government service
would be ruined entirely IL he were
not given all he demanded.
The most difficult task for the
momen for the various secretaries,
commissioners and bureau chiefs is
to arrange the clerical forces TO
meet the conditions imposed by a
congress that was bent on cutting
down expenses. Extensive reduc-
lions were made in nearly all the
stats. Somebody had to go, and
the question is, who is to go? The
moment they light upon some VIC
tim. up bobs a senator or a repre-
sentative, or some other form OF
Influence" loudly protesting that
whatever happens, the particular
person must be retained.
One or two of the departmental
heads "sidestepped" their Difficult
ties by going on inspection trips to
the far west at the crucial moment
and leaving their luckless subordi-
mates to wrestle with the problems
of finding enough holes for the
pegs. OF course, the inspections
were much needed just at the par
ticular time, but at that the neces-
sity was mighty convenient ana
welcome.
>When the late Thomas B. Reed,
answering the criticism Of a billion
dollars of appropriations with the
retort that this is a billion coun-
try" he spoke in figures appalling
for that time. A billion dollars now
doesn't last any time In accounting
for the aggregate expenses OF the
whole government machine. The
war left a structure which could
not be dismantled in a jiffy, espe-
cially as every n interested is
concerned in keeping 1t up as ex-
tensively as possible.
SO. with congress away, the gov
eminent goes along on a r1ammoth
scale. The navy department is set
ting out to start more warships and
to continue construction of those
already authorized and on the ways;
to train more seamen; to improve
wards and docks, and to keep every
thing bright and s~hipshape mean
while.
The war department has an i'm
mense field to cover. The new army
is to be recruited, fitted out and
trained. while the existing estab-
lishment must be kept up to maxi
mum efficiency. officers are to be
retired, others promoted, and there
is the usual pushing and showing
for advantageous assignments and
promotions. The public works
- A. xra donartn0pnt ie
an important feature, involving the
upkeep of rivers and harbor i'm
provements, and undertaking such
new enterprises as were authorized
by congress.
The treasury department never
sleeps'' truly, for it has jurisdiction
over so many branches of activity
touching the daily life of the coun-
try, that eternal vigilance and &C
tivity is necessary. 1t is this de-
partment which acts as e~xchequer
for all the others, and pays out the
money which the others expend,
while reaching out among the tax
payers to get every penny of in
come due it. The Biblical admoni-
ton to ''give unto Caesar the things
which are Caesars is scrupulously
followed by the treasury depart
ment, which goes after the elusive
tax dollar with a fine tooth comb.
The great department of agricul-
ture is busy improving the farmers
condition and helping him to in
crease production. The interior
Watches the public lands, irrigates
the arid regions, looks after the In
dams, keeps tab on the coal output
and does a thousand and one things
of minor domestic Importance
vastly important in the aggregate.
The department of justice sees tc
It that the laws are obeyed ano
~violators laid by the heels; the reds
controlled, the bootleggers KEEP
down and the great machinery OF
federal courts and United States
marshals kept running smoothly.
The p~ostofice department, whicf
never Stacks, v lays off and
never shuts down for repairs, runi
day and night. The labor depart
ment, the department of commerce.
with it's various branches, keeI
pegging away. The interstate com
merce commission, which is a vas
department in itself, tries to keer
the railroads running and yet wei
in hand. And having mentioned al
these, the surface of government
activities at the national capita
has hardly been scratched. 1t is g
mammoth and wonderful machine
this government machine. ond onl,
by systematizing, specializing and
INFINITE attention to detail, to eacf
cog and wheel, can it be maintain
ed.
So when congress back il
December everything will be fount
to have gone on, and there will b'
the usual clamor for "a little NOR
money to meet the deficiencies.