The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-02-10
A Very Powerful Official
power the bureau gets ana keeps =
frccord in minute detail.

available alone 10 the com missioner
Iof internal revenue and the secretary
81 the treasury For disclosing or
misusing any Of that rated confiden-
tiai, heavy penalties are provided.
1t was probably because OF the i'm
nense power potential If not actual.
eccruing 10 the revenue bureau as
well az the immense responsibilities
of the office as reorganized following
our entry into the war. that caused
President Wilson TO wish" the co-l-
misSioHershsp on Daniel C. Roper.
Prior 70 1913 il was largely rsh-
tine Office that filled haif-dozen
rooms in the old treasury building
and looked after distributing revenue
stamps and discourAging blockade
whiskey operations II collected few
hundred millions a year under The di-
FeetieH ST "A chief who commonly WIS
q deserving" type OF party politician.
The war and tho consequent neCeS-
Sity for raising billions from internal
revenues brought about vast re-
organization Of the bureau The
working force was increased from
5000 To $4,000. The few office rooms
grew into nifty ar sixty The new
! trcnsufy annex tSilding was taken
] over wholly by the income tax di-
Vision uf the bureau. and several
other buildings are filled by various
divisions
fct only modicum SO TO speak.
81 fhe bureaus operations are in
Washington. More than IL. geo mem,
rers Of the force are In the field ser
VICE that is scattered over the cuun.
+ try There are 'sixty-four collection
districts. each with a big force
Through those district orea nixatious
ri thu fftFNrnat
gathered. They report TO W-a-ninS.
Jon where fnal executive power lies
a f}ut between them and Washington
AFe intermediary or general super
visory forces, known generally as
revenue agents While members of
the internal revenue corps don't
move around furtively like secret SER
vice operatives. they are organized
somewhat after tho plan of Fouche'a
great police system There are sew
eral layers. each checking on the
other. That method governs the new
force organized IN enforce national
prohibition. In each state there Ii
a directing 0fhcial, but above him ia
another suh-direetor who has a fly
ing squadron for use in zone in
.cluding several states. There are
/ twelve such zones. Then under the
commissioner in Washington there is
~
other internal revenue forces.
The prohibition force has virtually
nothing To do with raising revenues.
it's function is almost wholly that ot
policing
Commissioner Roper wasn't in ia
ivor Of prohibition enforcement being
imposed on his bureau. giving in his
3"nnosifion rare display of an official
objecting to his powers being in
creased.
hut General Roper as he is
known To his friends. has no love o.
power for powers sake, and that /.
perhaps an additional reason VIII,
President Wilson insisted that he tax,
hold OF the revenue bureau
: The commissioner is one of the few
federal officials of distinction wht
rose from that helpless and usually
hopeless position known commonly b,
the term government employe." II,
was for many years in the civil ser
Twice, the most nearly certain buryink
! ground for talent in the country
His first American ancestor was on
. OF the original settlers at Jamestow,
= and his people have long been promi
= lnent- in the sofial and POLITICAL lif
= of the South. He was elected to tn
South Carolina legislature when jus
old enough to vote During the clos
i Ing days of the Cleveland administra
: tton he was clerk of a United State
senate committee.
In 1900 he became Statistical
: clerk in the United States census bu
: rcau. He knew much about cottol
. ana was assigned to that branch O
the work, When senator or con
gresham wanted figures or other dat
ABOUT the South's great crop, the,
found that Roper was the man VIII
+, could always supply it. Though h.
didn't belong To the party that rule,
I administrative Washington, he rose II
the bureau until he became its chic
expert on cotton. He organized tn
= present system of getting statistic
OF cotton production, having de
veloped the ginnery reports, perhap
the most valuable or all sources O
: data bearing on the annual cotto,
= harvest
} Then he became the textiles exner
OF The ways and means committee o
4 the house OF representatives, and whel
, tn Democrats took over the house h
4 was made clerk to that committee.
He worked out the intricate detail
$ involved m developing the Under
wood Simmons tariff act, which nov
prevails.
e Then he became first assista n
I postmaster general and because of tn
talent for organization displayed /
? That place he was asked. in 1916, I
= resign and direct the organiza ton hu
? reau OF national Democratic head
3 quarters in the campaign that result
8 ed in the second election OF Presiden
= Wilson That was the most irnpor
] @nt Of headquarters bureaus an
r prior to 1916 had always been e.,n
Quoted by man prominent In earn
: paigning politics, But. though he
= not of that type, Roper taught tn
I elder politicians many things ahou
political orga nizatior.
, The campaign over, he was put o.
Z the newly created tariff board
c lquiet, non~contentious place tina
;. could have been his for life
e But in few months the war cam
] and with IL necessity for organizin
. the internal revenue burcHG for tn
I collection OF billions. involving tn
+ gathering Of manifold information @
great importance concerning inJj
= viduals and business. The place pal
a $500 year. the tariff board 10
: $500, But, on President Wilson
t request, Roper took 1t. and after
a year congress raised his salary I
> $4,000
3 When the politicians of the old
: me-. ambitious-to be- boss school thin
x 9i the opportunities" afforded by tn
4 internal revenue bureau as lately en-
8 arged. for developing personal an