Evening star., 1922-03-05
MAY PUT ASIDE PLAN
OF REORGANIZATION
Inability of Cabinet Members to Agree
Likely to Result in Piecemeal
Legislation

ences is shown in the case of tariff
and bonus legislation today. So it
may as well be admitted right now
that there isn't going to be any gen.
! eral program OF reorganization put
through at any early day-as far as
can be seen on the present political
| horizon.
X x X
And yet, som" definite action is
/ mplated-piecemeal action.
| Suppose the reorganizers announced
| their decision that the bureau of mar
kets should be placed in the Depart
| ment of Commerce instead of the De-
partment of Agriculture. as is con-
templated in the tentative program
now before the President that would
arouse all the agricultural interests
! Suppose it was announced that the
Department of Labor would be all
broken TO bits; that the divisions of
] immigration and Americanization
+, would be taken away as agencies OF
national concern rather than OF re-
stricted group concern, because la
bor's interest in immigration is mere
ly because it might prove a competi-
tor, while the whole nation is con-
cerned in making the immigrant a
| good citizen; again, that the childrens
bureau would be taken away, and
finally that labor might be made one
bureau of a new department Of well
| fare-surely that would arouse all
| the labor interests.
| Take just one more illustration
The proposal for a new department OF
| education. with specific legislation
pending in Congress, has stirred UP
| the always-to-be-deplor religious
issue. If, then. it was announced that
! education was to be subordinatcd as
a section of the welfare department
it can readily be seen that the edu-
cational interests would be rcSentfui.
So there You have both the religious
and the educational societies aroused.
x =
Bring out the whole reorganization
| program at once. and you would have
all of these groups of blocs-agricul-
ture, labor, religious, educational and
scores of others-uritcd against it.
| What chance would it have with an
already sorely harassed Congress?
So those who are planning to do the
best they can by putting through the
| reorganization program in sections
figure that they are employing dis
cretion as the better part of valor by
meeting these opposing blocs or
groups one at time.
Members of the joint congressional
! committee on rcorganizatio haven't
made any move yet. except 10 put
their fingers to their lips when asked
Whats doing??'
1t is probable that whom the pro-
posed unit construction Of the new
framework of Uncle Sans admins
trative plant is started that the first
section attempted will be the rebuild
ing of the Interior Department into a
new department of public works.
There are three good reasons ac-
tuating those who are considering
putting this first on the reorEaniza-
ton program. One is that the orig
inal bill. introduced by Representa-
e. Frank Reavis of Nebraska, pro-
vided for reorganization Of the Int
| rior Department to place therein all
the engineering and public work ac-
, tivities of the federal government.
1t is argued that this is the most
I comprehensive bill yet offered, anG
that Representative Reavis. who 10
chairman of the House section of the
joint congressional committee on re-
organization and who has announced
that he will not seek reelection to
Congress. ought to be given a chance
to put through his bill.
A second reason is the converse of
the reason for not bringing out a
general reorganization bill. The
massing of the opposing blocs or
groups was feared. but with the Rea-
Wis public works department brought
out, there is already assurances of
organized support from the engineer
ing profession, which has been bring
ing pressure to bear individually
upon members of Congress to support
this measure.
The third reason is that the setting
up of a public works department
would prepare the way for the next
piece of reorganization contemplated,
which is to unite the War and Navy
departments into one great Depart
ment of national defense. y
The idea is 10 take from the present
War Department all civil peace-time
activities, such as rivers and harbors
improvements-whi are practically
all engineering works-making the
proposed new department of public
works a recepticle into which all
such engineering functions of the
government could be gathered.
This would leave only strictly ma
tional defense functions and activities
in the War and Navy departments.
which could then be easily united. ac-
lcording to those who are now figur-
ing a way in which the present ad-
ministratioh can make good-in part.
at least-its reorganization promise
to the voters.
I Many Students Spurn
SIS Prize for Learning
| Sermon on Mount