New-York tribune., 1921-06-15
Delay of Congress in Act
ing ON Tariff and Tax
Problems Causes Irri-
tation in White House
Insists on Action
To Cut Expenses
Cabinet Is Told Propagan-
dists Who Oppose Econ
omy Program Must Go
By Carter Field

G.. Harding is slow to wrath and Of
exceeding patience, but there are un-
mistakable signs that his patience is
about to pass beyond the proverbial
limit. Several things are irritating
the President with regard to the way
things are going on--or else not going
on--in the journey of the Administra-
| ton toward normalcy.
One of these is the fact that Con-
eress which he called into special ses-
sion for two purposes--to revise the
tariff and to modify the present taxes
is grinding away at everything it's
members can think of except those two
problems. The result is that not only
is no date for final adjournment in
sight, but no one knows when the two
particular jobs mentioned will be
completed.
The President wants those two
things done. and then he wants Con-
gress to pack up and 60 home. If
| certain other little things can be sand
wiched in without delaying the going
home date he will not be distressed,
but he emphatically does not want any
thing else used as an excuse to delay
the adjournment.
Buying at Home Insisted On
With the President more eagerly set
I on restoring business activity than
anything else, no imagination is need
ed to picture his Indignation at the
discovery to-day that at least one of
I the governmental departments was
/ making heavy purchases of Supplies
abroad. SO angry is the President that
he has begun drafting letter per-
/ sonally to be sent to every bureau
chief. directing that goods made in
| America must be purchased whenever
possible. This letter, it was said at the
White House, would be made public in
a few days.
The President also served notice on
his Cabinet at to-day's meeting that
any government official caught lobby
ing with view to saving either his
own Job or that of any. of his subordi-
mates would be promptly disconnected
from the government payroll. Several
instances have been brought to the
Presidents attention Of this sort of
thing, but it is not going too far to say
that the Presidents outspoken com
ments to the Cabinet members will be
taken as hint by them. 1t is be-
, lieved IN this connection that some of
the Cabinet members themselves are
not overly eager to have important
bureaus either cut down by Congress
or taken away from their departments
under any reorganization plan.
Bureaus Fight for Jobs
incidentally the battle to save their
Jops-or IN some instances the impol-
lance OF their jobs, frequently figured
by the number of subordinates-is one
OF the most desperate that Washington
mas ever seen. One of the reasons why
taxes next year, are going to be just
ABOUT the same as this is that there
have not been the drastic reductions in
the number of government EMPLOYEES
which were expected. Wholesale spec
tacular discharges are generally fol-
lowed by pressure from Capitol Hill
being applied in particular instances
and IN bureau chiefs "coaxing" their
way to deficiency appropriations
which means that they spend the
money before Congress appropriates it
in other cases.
The President has been amazed and
not little dumfounded to discover
how extremely difficult it is to force
reductions in government expenditures.
HIS experience has been that of wad-
! ing through, a deep mudhole. The mud
has given under his pressure, but some
how most of it is still right in the
road.
1t was brought out at the Cabinet
meeting that organized propaganda
| tending to obstruct the work of the
reorganization committee is being put
! out by employees associations and
others. Cabinet members and Con-
gressmen have been the recipients of
! late of scores of letters from em-
| ployees of certain departments, each
one protesting against any change
| being made. Following to-day's meet
ing directions were given department
heads to make known the attitude of
the Administration toward propaganda
| lists.
Plans Bigger Than Individuals
| One Cabinet member, in discussing
| the reorganization plans after the
meeting, said the proposed reallocating
of departments is matter of public
service and bigger than any individual
in the government service. While the
Administration has not definitely de-
cided upon the reorganization program,
it was understood that the President
and each member of the Cabinet con-
cur in general policy. 1t was decided
a. the meeting that in the future bu-
reau chiefs will report to the Cabinet
official directly over them with refer
| ence to proposed changes, and the Cabi-