Evening star., 1921-09-21
COORDINATION OF BUREAUS
FACTOR IN REORGANIZATION
abolition Of Labor Department and De-
/ partment of Agriculture, as Such, Dis
cussed-Groupings Cited.


abolished as class distinction and. IT
so, will the Department of Agricul-
ture be abolished on the same
grounds" This is one of the big
questions that have been asked in
connection with the work of the joint
congressional committee on reor-
ganization of the administrative
branch of the government
The best answer that can be given
dent Harding and his cabinet, who
are now working on their recon-
mendations to the committee, is to
tell the general attitude of those
who are engaged in drafting the re-
organization program. Reorganiza-
tion to be worth anything, and to
command the support necessary to
make it effective, must be based on
a sound principle. 1t is considered
fatal to yield to expediency as
against this principle.
If 1t Is demonstrated that the in
terest of the general public In labor
is a welfare interest. and that wei.
fare work for the labor group Will
be of advantage to the whole people
of the country. then there are strong
reasons for co-ordinating labor ac-
tivities of the federal government
with the proposed new department
of welfare.
Questions Decided by Students.
1t has been decided by the reorgani-
cation students that there must be no
building up of labor to be high-hand-
ed, and to agSrandize labor at the ex-
pense of other classes of citizens. The
federal interest, they have decided.
must be to make the conditions of
labor such that good men will be glad
to spend their lives in industries. and
enable them to properly bring up their
children and take their part in organ
fxed society. There is no reason, and
no intention to 'coddle' labor" they
say, or to hold up any class at the
expense of the rest of the people.
So it has pretty definitely been de-
cided that the activities of the present
Labor Department.. which really have
to do with labor from the welfare
viewpoint. are to be co-ordinated in a
major division of the new welfare de-
partment. 1t is very likely that a con-
cession, without yielding the prin-
ciple. will be made to labor by using
the name and making the new de-
partment one of welfare and labor.
1t is admitted that there are many
agencies and activities in the present
Department of Labor that properly
have no place there, and which have
been picked up and added from time
to time. principally for the purpose
of building up department that
would look more important.
immigration Service Cited.
One of these foreign functions is the
immigration service. the reorganizers
feel. The first contact of the immi-
grant coming to our shores. they point
out, is with the public health service
So also the naturalization bureau,
whose prime function is education
Both the public health service and the
bureau of education are to be made
part of the new welfare departme mt.
and so it is planned to put immigra
tion and naturalization work into this
new department.
Some important delegations which
have been in conference with the re-
organizing forces have urged that
immigration should be considered
ket. but it has been decided that
this is only a passing phase. The
real questions. the reorganiZers ar
que. is: How is the addition of any
United States? What kind of citizens
will we have 100 years from now?
Are we going to throw. away those
things that made the United States
the greatest nation in the world by
the infusion of immigrants, or are
we going to build up a greater fu-
ture citizenship by encouraging to
come here the best from all lands.
with right purposes and ambitions?
AErfculturists ns Group.
The question as to whether the De-
partment of Agriculture should be
abolished as building up one large
group of citizens is answered in this
way by the reorganizers. The pur-
pose is not to make class distinc-
tion or to aggrandiZe the farmers as
a big group set apart. The principle
behind the Department of Agricul-
ture is one of national security-to
make certain that this country will
continue to be self-sustaining in it's
food supply. 1t has been decided
that the federal government must
promote agriculture as great ma
tiona1 asset and for national safety.
, 1t is known positively that Walter
r. Brown. chairman of the joint re-
organization committee and personal
adviser to the President, feels that
the one biggest thing that can be
done in reorganization is to unite the
War and Navy departments into one
new department of national defense,
and is ready to fight if needs be to
put that change across. There is con-
siderable opposition. but it is re-
nYnrYrrC