Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1922-01-06
MAY RE0RGANIzE
THE DEPARTMENTS
CONGRESS WILL TAKE ACTION
ON REPORT SUBMITTED BY
BROWNS COMMITTEE.
SOME OPPOSITION EXPECTED
Plan contemplates Consolidation Of
War and Navy Departments and the
Creation OF New Department Of
Public Welfare.
BY EDWARD 8. CLARK


Neutrality-suspicious. are on for the
reorganization of the various depart
mentS of government. The details of
reorganization are many and somewhat
Intricate. 1t is expected that the re-
organization committee, which is COM
posed of members Of congress, except
Tor its chairman, who is Walter r.
Brown of Ohio, will submit re-
organization bin to congress by the
presidential route. This means that it
win have the sanction of the Chief
Executive.
There has been variance of opinion
among cabinet members as TO the
Wisdom of some of the things which
are to be proposed. Ii seems 10 be
virtually assured today that the bill
for reorganization win include a prop
Ositlon for the consolidation of the
Wa and Navy departments into a
greater department of defense with a
chief secretary at It's bead and with
undersecretarieS for war and navy
The plan also viii include recom-
mendation for the establishment Of Il
department of public welfare which
is to include great many bureaus
and divisions which now are working
under other departments of the public
service. In the department Of public
welfare, If it shall be established,
probably will be the bureau OF educa-
ton, the public health service and a
good many other branches of the gov
eminent which in ii general way are
connected with what loosely has been
called curative, uplifting and benefi-
cent endeavor.
Consolidation Will Be Opposed.
1t is almost certain that there will
be opposition in congress to the change
contemplated by the War and Navy
departments. 1t is urged that money
will be saved by the consolidation Of
the two military branches of the ser
vice and that some duplication OF work
can be done away with, but there also
is feeling that the two services, al
though both are military, are so dis
similar in their lines of endeavor and
action that independence for each is
needed.
There is another matter which enters
into this question of the consolidation
of the War and Navy departments
1t is that of preferment to the high
office of secretary of the department
of defense. Who is to be promoted
TO the position, and will the present
secretary of war and the present
secretary of the navy, if neither is to
be given promotion, be satisfied to re-
main as undersecretariest This mat
ter of course. is a personal one and
has to do with the ambitions of men.
or with the Discrimination of either
one OF the present chiefs to continue
in service as subordinate to one who
has been simply an official Of equal
rank. The personal end Of this con-
troyersy probably can be taken care
of, but before matters finally are adj
justed it is believed there will be
some heart burnings and possibly
resignation or two from the govern
ment service.
There win be opposition, also, to the
establishment OF a department of well
fare. The President long ago ex-
pressed his desire for such a depart
ment, and it was rumored that he in
tended to make Or. Charles e. Sawyer
of Marion, o.. who was appointed to
the reserve corps and now is tenn
porarily on the active list, to be the
chief of the new department.
Why Educators object.
Opposition to the department of
public welfare in congress will come
from men who do not believe that
the direction of certain activities Of
the government should be taken away
from the departments which now are
directing them. and placed under the
supervision of a new branch Of the
government. 1t is understood that the
bureau of education does not wish to
be transferred from its place in the
department of the interior. Moreover,
there is a fairly strong feeling in the
country, and ii has been made mani
fest In Washington, that there should
be a department of education inde-
pendent of all other departments.
The educators who take this view
of the matter say that the condition
of niteracy In the United States is
appalling and that the subject of edu-
cation is vital enough to the govern
ment TO justify and m,re than justify
the establishment Of separate de-
partment with a cabinet officer at its
head
Some one has been figuring on the
saving which viii accrue to the govern
ment if the report Of the reorganiza-
ton committee IS accepted by CON
gress. one student Of the situation
has said that the saving viii be some.
thing more than a million dollars a
day. This means, Of course, 1866. 600
OOc a year, which ~ a good deal OF
money, but when men are pressing for
some departure from the usual pro-
ceedings In government they are apt
to be oTe--ODt'mistic and perhaps also
to bn extIayaEant in their claims Of
h. rra fe %.