Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-09-12
Washington
Briefs
Special to Indiana Daily Times
and Philadelphia Public Ledger.

BY WASHINGTON OBSERVER
WASHINGTON. Sept. 12-Presidens
Harding has given evidence Of his de-
termination TO perpetuate career" men
In the diplomatic service by appointing
Joseph Clark Grew, minister to Switxer-
Iand. For the past year Mr.. Grew has
been minister to Denmark Although
only Al. he has q record of seventeen
consecutive years in the foreign service.
having entered II as a clerk at the Amer
lean consulate general in Cairo. two years
after leaving Harvard In the interval
he has been secretary of embassy In
Mexico, Russia, Germany and Austria
Hungary. Mr.. Grew was Ambassador
Gerard's chief of staff at Berlin when
war broke ont in 1914, and was on duty
In Germany throughout the tortuous days
of our neutrality. Our entry into the war
found him charge d'affaires at Vienna.
Then Mr.. Grew was transferred to Wash
ington to conduct the western European
division at the State Department. Mr..
Grew attended the pre-armistice negotia-
tons at Versailles as secretary to Colonel
House and later became secretary gen
eral Of the American peace mission, with
the rank of minister. He is a native Ros-
tonian, a big game hunter, author Of
sport and travel in the Far East" and
is brother-in-law of j. Pierpont Nor
gan.
On the walls of Secretary Hooyer,s
private offices in the Department of Com
merce is an exceedingly graphic chart,
six feet square, entitled Government
duplication of activities" It exhibits 32g
instances of overlapping throughout the
ten executive departments of the Federal
Government and the twenty six subsid-
larry independent establishments" Tbs
compiler OF the chart, In an explanatory
postscript, sets forth that his diagram
is meant TO show at a glance WHY the
cost OF government per capita, which was
only S11.14 in 1916. is now S45. Once
upon time when the republic was In
It's swaddling clothes, it was u cents.
The chart was designed as a tribute to
Herbert Hoovers famed Three bearsn
his discovery that three different kinds
of bruins are regulated by three differ
ent departments Of the Government Ths
Administrators reorganization commit.
tee hopes soon to promulgste ways and
means for putting the three bears systen
out of business.
One Of the delicate social problems OF
the armament conference will be tho
question Of whether foreign delegates
may with propriety, pa their respects
to former President Woodrow ,ilson.
To the average mar there would seem to
be not the slightest reason why states
men like Lloyd George or NJ BRAND
with whom Mr.. Wilson became well ao-
quainted abroad, should not call upon
him here. Yet NJ. Viviani, when he was in /
Washington last spring, is understood to
have refrained from doing so, doubtless
at the instigation OF Frances ever tact
full ambassador, NJ. Jusserand. Old
world diplomatists are fncurabIy pune
tilious about this sort OF thing and viii
be sure to ascertain that the existing
powers that be win have no objection be- |
fore leaving their cards at 2340 street +
Senator's, Representatives and Cabinet 1
ministers pestered by job seekers are I
now having recourse to what Is knows |
as 1.-The Dawes alibi" When constit- /
uents or friends seek places the common
est dodge Is to explain that under ths
ruthless wav of departmental economy |
institute by the budget director, thers /
are neither vacancies no prospective res |
ignations. Except IN restiferous cases /
the "alibf' usually serves its PURPOSES
Copyright, 1921, by Public Ledger Conn
pany.