Evening star., 1921-05-11
CLASH At HEARING
ON WELFARE BILL
Proponents of Separate Edu-
cation Department Take
Issue With Sawyer.

Advocates Of the proposed depart
ment Of public welfare. which has
been recommended by President
Harding and by Brig. Gen. Sawyer.
whom the President brought to
Washington to aid in working out a
plan for this department., and ad-
vocates OF an Independent department
of education. clashed at joint hear
ing today before the Senate and
House committee on education and
labor.
REPRESENTATIVE Towner of iowa, CO.
author OF the Sterling-Towner bill
for a department Of education, with
its head a member of the Presidents s
proposal that education should be
made merely one branch of the de-
partment Of public welfare. He in
sisted that education was of suf-
ficient Importance to the country to
have an Independent department.
willing to Go to Country.
I'VE are willing to go to the country
and let it decide whether there should
be department Of education as an
Independent organizations" said Mr..
Towner He is member Of the
House committee on education.
Gen. Sawyer. who was on the stand
at the time, said that II the educators
of the country do not care to have
the governments activities in con-
nection with educational matters be-
come a part Of the public welfare de-
partment. then they could stay out
side He insisted, however, that the
administration was trying to give the
educators all the aid it could. and ex-
pressed the hope that the difference
could be arranged.
Chairman Kenyon of the Senate
committee on education and labor.
acting chairman of the joint hearing
suggested that was a matter which
Congress would have to settle in any
event.
other witnesses at the hearing to-
day included Herbert ]. Brown. head
of the efficiency bureau, who promised
the Joint committee he would submit
estimates showing what the expense
Of the creation of the proposed new
department would be. Advocates of
the department insist that. with a CO.
ordination Of all the government func-
tions relating to education. public
health, social welfare and veterans
aiI. a saving would be possible.
DR.. A. l.. Forster of Chicago ap-
reared for the chiropractors and
urged that the bill be amended SO as
to Prevent any discrimination against
anv school of healing. He contended
that as now drafted it might result in
serious discrimination against the
chiropractors. and would result in
government subsidy to the members
Of the regular medical profession on
the lives and health Of the public.
Would Unite Bureaus.
w Wallace, representing the
Reiterated American Engineering So
cieties. urged the advisability of
transferring to the Department or In
terior government bureaus and agen.
cies connected with public work ana
enxineering. including river and har-
hor work. He pointed out that
lumber Of the bureaus Of the Interior
Denartment under the proposed puo-
iic welfare department plans VIII De
transferred to the new department.
;tseif might well be renamed the de-
nartment of public works.
Gen sawyer discussed the pro-
visions of the Kenyon-Fess bill for
a department OF public wsitare, an gong
~ hearings before the Senate COM
mittee recently.
Renresentative Bankhead of Ala
hama asked Gen. Sawyer II 1t was
proposed to give the nstnr senoo, G9l,oren Ranren
ppninted out that the pending bill
tp,areiv provides the machinery for
Ealing with the public health. Any
Proposals for physical examinations
% rh
Obtained oa in other legislation by
Congress.
Might Include Towner BiIl.
A. this point Representative Fess
.,1vested that while there has been
sueesition to the pending bill on the
pt oppt of Mr.. Towner and other advo-
ste. Of a department Of education,
Sao.use features of the Towner bill
pewe not been included. the machinery
aa, mn. under the pending bill could
s'srv veil handle the activity proposed
" senator Semi Sterling Of South Dakota
.,Sgested on the other hand that if
there is public sentiment in favor of
LEGISLATION such as that provided in
ths Towner bill. the pending bill
cns,d well be elaborated to contain it.
SENATOR Kenyon said that this could
ha done il it was deemed advisable,
hit that in framing the present bill
- was intended merely to provide for
,hs Governmental machinery to deal
With the subjects covered.
Mr.. Fess pointed out that 1t might
he inadvisable to put into permanent
law such provisions as that for the
AIfnfnation of adult illiteracy. Adult
lIiiferacy was not permanent and