New-York tribune., 1921-03-12
arding Plans
skltralized
Police Bureau
wembers of Cabinet Com
mitted to Consolidation
Of Many Agencies for
Criminal Investigation
Rurns Wants 10 Head 1t
B;eIaski. Burke and Finch
Also Seek s7,5OO Place
Figuring in New Policy


rsr T~lsurs's washi~sto~ Bu-eos
vAsH1NGTON, March lin the
.,rsst OF job seekers outside the inner
...,,,,u Of the White House executive
.s-.s each day there Is constantly
.~cressinx number who have their eyes
.x.d longingly on the $500 director
..;r az the Department of Justices
unrsau Of investigation. Among the
u.r.issens applicants are William ]
Vurns, A. Bruce Bielsshi. who, as head
II this organization, conducted the
.seker raids: Frank Burke, another
.,rmsr chief, and Stanley W. FiRch.
Il is rot the existing emolument that
hiring men with incomes like that
= Burns 70 seek this place. The at
-sctisn les in the possibility of be-
s,rine chief Of q great Federal police
tsrce. Under President Harding's con-
..npls, ed scheme OF departmental re-
.rrani1ation. there is likelihood Of
Consolidation of all the existing Fed
,.xaI agencies of criminal investigation.
Such division OF government
.lsuths probably would be under the
snrrTCi o. tES Az ltiCHk vi HOSJlCcs
md she Bureau Of Investigation very
kelly would be The nucleus OF the or
rsniza1lou.
when the Sixty-sixsh Congress al
.curnee sine die or March ! there died I
bill introduced in the Senate by Sem (
stor Knox. o. Pennsylvania, for Sen (
stor Mccormick. Of Illinois, which f
would have transferred the Secret
Service. sristocrass Of all the govern
ment agencies. 70 the Department of
Justice This same bill also would I
hsve arsferrsd 70 the control of the
Dspar neat OF Justice the Office of
Alien Properly Custodian. =
Cabinet Committed to Plan
This scheme, of course. was far less
am5isicus than the one now reported
ander consideration. President Har-
airg's plan. Of wider scope ali along the
ina-, viii have the support OF his Cabi
aet. for he recently let it be known
that he rad committed all of them in
advance OF appointment to his reor-
gsnizstion scheme, which is yet to be
developed.
The government agencies for crimi-
raj investigation SIS they exist at pres
ent efer one Of the notable examples
Of the need Of applying business meth
ods to governm ent. Every department
has at least one such agency and in
some departments there are several
6istincs agencies with police powers
doing. WORK OF q similar nature.
In the Treasury Department there is
the Secret Service, charged with the
prevention OF counterfeiting and the
capture Of offenders. This corps Of
highly trained experts also is charged
with responsibility for the bodily well
fare Of the President and some OF its
members are on duty as his bodyguard
every minute Of each twenty-four
hours. This service. with its remark
sblss4e pirlt de corps, presents one Of
the Hrongest arguments against con-
sclidaton
May Include Dry Agents
Bes.des this body, the Secretary Of
sse Treasury also controls at present
tas prohibition enforcement agents,
sarcotic inspectors. customs officers,
snd the coast guard This represents
sizable army and costly one. In
cidentally, under the reorganizatio
plan, the coast guard service, just as
isalous of It's traditions as the Secret
Service probably would be merged per-
maneatly with the navy, which in turn
may become but single division of
The proposed department of national
defense
IN the Interior Department there are
At present separate services for the
appreL enslon Of violators of the laws
e~aling with land frauds and with pc II
son frauds. Secretary Fall also has
under him a forestry service which
smbraces BODY Of mounted ridemen,
and then, too. he retains E large force
Ter the policing Of national parks.
The State. Commerce. Agriculture
and Labor departments all have their
distinct crime investigating agents,
vho tote guns and perform the func-
tons Of Federal policemen In the
Department of Justice, of course, Is
vested control of all Unitad States
nsrstals and their deputies and the
sailifs CT United States courts. In
sne pcstofice inspectors Uncle Sam
Fad body Of sleuths who rank with
7Lhers have been hurriedly organized
psy Is not standardized, nor promo
sons, nor efficiency, nor expenditures
Scattered Organizations Costly
Every one Of these scattered organi-
Atio1s Is costly, no matter how val
sable. For example. the Department
q Justice last year spent s2,600,00
The Secret Service spent 100000.
Ear Of the separate services has its
own traditions, It's own hopes q pref
srmert and consequently strong
ssers'on TO consolidation with the
esher services. But this Is true ot
al tie bureaus that President Har
siag ans 70 shift about and merge
3 sita other bureaus with overlapping
sunct ons.
Sc it is that eventual consolidation
exoected IN some quarters, and tina
Is wly William J. Burns and the othel
s.sutls call hopefully each day at thu
Whit House executive office. At At
tdrnev General Daugherty's Office i
! vas said to-day that no consideration
Rad leen given i yet TO the selection
81 successor 10 William J. Flynn
head II the Secret Service.
France Sees Move bv Mexico