The Glenwood post., 1921-04-16
uncIe Ted's Bed Time Stories
Current Events For the Children
and Grown-ups. Too
UNCLE TED cRIT1cIsEs UNCLE
SANS BUSINESS METHODS

The sun was setting GLOW adown in
the red west.' 1t had been a vernal
day filched by Miss March from the
wardrobe of Miss Cally Fornia to wear
at pageant given by the Seasons in
the aisles of Time in celebration Of the
birth on March 4th of new heir to
history. A cool breeze was trailing in.
betraying the approach of Boreas, the
weather cop, who had been sent to the
pilferer by one of the Dakota girls
to demand the return of the sunbeam
gown to their Pacific sister. Uncle Ted
was lounging on the veranda, dreaming
of the yesteryears, and wondering if he
had better 60 to sea tomorrow, or be
practical and spade the garden for an
early planting, when Ruth, Jack and
the north wind blew in together-there
was a scuttle of feet for indoors, a
scuttle of coal for the CRATE fire, the
appetizing sniff of apple pie from the
kitchen and the promise of story af
ter supper, if the children would choose
topic from the headlines.
Following noble meal, the three
statesmen gathered around the Preside
and Ruth read from the headlines OF
the Evening Planet: Administration
for Complete Reorganization of the De
partments. Congress to Put Govern
ment on Business Basis.' "Tell us
about that, Uncle Ted,'' requested
Ruth.
"Well, that is as good a topic as
any you could select" replied Uncle
Ted, $50 if you will get down that
volume of presidential messages l will
start off with what Mr.. Taft said about
our government departments, in Janu
airy, 1912, when he was president. All,
here it is. Let me read part of it, This
vast organization has never been stu
died in detail as one piece of admins
trative mechanism. No com
prehensive effort has been made to list
all its multifarious activities or to
group them in such way as to present
clear picture Of what the government
is doing. E. =. At no time has the
attempt been made to study all these
activities and agencies with a view to
the assigning of each activity to the
agency best fitted for its performance.
to the avoidance of duplication Of plant
and work." ETC., etc.
"There was a time, kiddies, when we
were nation of but 100000 people,
and the expense of running the govern
ment was about IL cents a head each
year. Today, with 110,000,0O0 people,
government expenditures have risen to
nearly $40 a head annually. Roughly,
80 per cent of this sum is for the up
keep of governmental agencies. In
1912 the Democratic party condemned
the Republicans for what they termed
'prohigate waste of money wrung from
the people, and the Democrats ie-
manded a return to that simplicity and
economy which BELTS a democratic gov
eminent and reduction in the number
of uleless offices, the salaries Of which
drain the substance of the people, At
that time the official register listed
$4,000 federal employees, in addition
to 22S,OoO postal employees, or $4,000
in all When the Republicans came in
to power, two and half years after
the war, there were about 100000 en-
ployes on the federal payroll. You
see,' said Congressman Reavis,, some
time ago, the American people have
for many years paid the expenses of
their government with taxes collected
from the protective tariff and liquor,
etc They hardly realized they were
pay ing for the operations Of the gov
eminent machinery and consequently
did not care how that machinery WA
run. The pork barrel and the pork
barrel Congressman resulted.
"What is pork barrel congressman,
Uncle Ted?p asked Jack.
"a man who compacts with others
to hog the public treasury for the ben
eft of their respective districts, leav-
ing the squeal to the Taxpayers re-
piled his uncle.
"Our Constitution provides for three
separate branches Of the government
the legislative, executive, and judicial,