The Republican., 1922-01-26

OUT-OF-DATE MACHINE

OUT-OF-DATE MACHINE
A committee made up of three men,
bers of the senate and three members
Of the house is now considering the
whole problem of the organization Of
the executive departments Of the gov
ernment with a view to finding out
how to reOrganize them so as to in
crease their efficiency and decrease
their cost Of operation. 1t is about
time. The great executive depart
ments Of the government have not
been reOrganiZed or greatly modern
lied since Alexander Hamilton's day.
Representative Reavis of Nebraska
Is one of the members Of this joint
congressional committee that is max
ing the present investigation. lie put
the resolution through the house that
brought about the appointment of the
committee He is a part of the ma
tiOnal government machine and he
ought to know what he is talking about
when he says that while the gov
ernment Of the United States is the
worlds biggest business, it is likewise
the worlds worst managed business"
That is an indictment and a state
ment of fact that will stand the closest
scrutiny and the most unsparing
analysis. But listen to Mr.. Reavis:
"Why should the Interior department
run an insane asylum and a college for
negroes and a school for the deaf?
How did it get that way Why should
one personnel in the pension bureau
in the Interior department be caring
for the disabled soldiers of the Civil
war and the Spanish American war,
while another personnel in the bureau
Of war risk insurance Of the treas
ury is caring for the veterans Of the
World war? Why this hodgepodge Of
totally unrelated purposes which is re-
sulting in endless duplication and ap-
paIling eXpense?"
l will let Mr.. Reayis 90 on without
further interruption. A. q member
Of the house he has his share Of the
responsibility for the conditions he de-
scribes:
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tural and public works functions all of a
related kind. There is no good reason why
all these agencies should not be cO-Orii-
mated in one department ana about IS OF
the useless organizations done away with.
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n',fio, If Z.oriJ In tba r,I,1ra We ro,,Id
ave s2DoogoonA a vaar in INV judgement
by doing away with useless bureaus and
uell-ys''o9 ea oi .Lo aeS.EIItes. 5Ites.,o r,s,,
lous and absurd. For instance the gov
eminent seeks to protect the wild animals
MN "a lIe ma national .o. patks' II brown kadlak
black as often bannane ana one sbo1,i6
shoot the brown cub he must make his
settlement with one department. but IL
he shoots its full brother the black cub,
he must settle with another department.
II you were to shoot fox in Alaska your
settlement would be with the Department
of Agriculture, while if you trapped the
same fox you must make your settlement
with the Department of Commerce.
The government issued last year
through its several bureaus and depart
ments 16 cOokbooks. The last one that
was issued was published by the board
of vocational education. This is a board
organized by the congress for the purpose
OF rehabilitating crippled soldiers of the
World war, to prevent as far as possible,
their becoming derelicts in life. 1t
may be of interest to state that while the
government has been issuing Is cookbooks
and consuming vast quantities of print
paper In these and similar useless publ
cations, 1900 country town newspapers
have suspended in the last three months
because they could not secure print pa per
M peo,.is and n o,roo+ n,op,, o+bor,
nave SehSeu the leellhS Ill the cOuh-
try and in congress that the time has
come 70 nut nm end to all This sort
Of thing. He gives reasons for his
belief.
One of the reasons is that the people
demand that their taxation be reduced.
t, or many Years We we nave peeh coiectlIls
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