The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1922-09-21
FEDERAL EMPLOYEES
REDUCED THOUSANDS
Republican Administration Has Made
Good Its Promise to Get Rid Of
Useless Employees and Get the
Public PayrOlls Back to Nor
NAL Basis

Washington, Sept. 20.-The Demo-
cratic National Committee Is putting
out the statement that the Republican
administration is not living up to its
promises made in the campaign of
1920 to reduce the number of federal
employees. The statement being issu-
ed by the Democratic organization in
this regard is characteristic. Instead
OF comparing the number of employees
who were on the federal payroll when
the Republican administration came
into power with the number of en-
ployes now on the payroll, which
would be the only fair comparison,
1t compares the number on the payroll
in 1915 with the number now on the
payroll
No one denies, or attempts to deng,
there are more employees working for
the government today than there were
in 1915. This is true because since
1915 new federal agencies have been
created and many federal activities
have increased, all of which require
increased number of employees, as
compared with 1915. The federal gov
eminent can no more go back to 1915
in the matter of amount of help need
ed to run the government than it can
go back to 1915 in the amount of
money needed to run the government.
Since 1915 there has come into ex-
istcnce, for example, the agencies
dealing with ex-service men. There
are combined in the Veterans Bureau.
The number of employees in the Veter-
ans Bureau on June 80, 1922 was 3D.
S02
There was no railroad Administra-
tion in 1915. 1t was created by the
Wilson regime and because of the
mess in which the Democratic admin
istration left railroads and the work
of cleaning up this mess it necessi-
tates the continuation of a force of
people which at present number 1.247.
There was no Shipping Board in
1915. The number of employees in the
Shipping Board today is 4,070.
There was no Alien Property Custo-
dams Office in 1915. Today that agen-
cy employs 1879.
There was no need of an extensive
force in the immigration Bureau of
the Labor department in 1915 because
there was no restrictive immigration
law to be enforced. There was no
Women's Bureau or Children's Bureau
in connection with the Labor depart
ment in 1915.
There was no prohibition amend
ment to the Constitution in 1915 and
no Prohibition Bureau for the purpose
of enforcing the laws.
The Income Tax Bureau of the
Treasury department in 1915 was not
nearly as large as it is today because
there was nothing like the amount OF
business done by that bureau that
there is today.
So the list might be continued. The
argument that there are more employ
es in the government today than in
1915 proves nothing except that gov
eminent activities have enlarged in
the past seven years and therefore
require more help.
The real test as to whether or not
the Republican administration has
made good it's promise to eliminate
from the payrOlls needless employees is
a comparison of the number of en-
ploves on the payrolls when the Re-
publican administration came into
power with the number now On the
payrolls.
The total number of federal en-
ployes when the Republican adminnis-
tration took over the government
March 4, 1921, was 640,175. The total
total number OF employees on the fed
eral payrolls June 30, 1922, after the
Republican administration had been
in control of affairs Is months, was
$50. S63. That was a reduction of
1912 federal employees in Is months.
To itemize a few of the decreases:
When the Republicans took charge
Of the government in March, 1921,
there were 1900 employees in the
Treasury department: today there are
only $500. There were $3.50 civil
liam employees in the War Department;
today there are 51.279. There were
81 1924 civilian employees in the NAVY
department.; today there are 55,S47.
There were 9,479 employees in the
Shipping Board; today there are only
1910.
ment of Labor has had IT'S duties vast
Iy increased since the Republican ad-
ministration came into power. 1t has
cut its payroll 500 since March, 1921.
Despite the fact that the Depart
ment Of Commerce has increased it's
activities in every bureau and is per-
forming many times the service that
that department performed under
Democratic administration, it is en-
pIoying today $500 less employees than
1t did when the Republican admins
tration took charge.
From these figures 1t can easily be
seen that. the assertions of the Demo-
cratic National Committee to the effect
that the Harding administration has
not made good In its promise to reduce
the public payroll is an assertion that
Is wholly false.
The number of employees in the sew
eral executive departments of the
government Is determined by two fac
tors: first, the opinion Of the heads
OF the department as to the number
necessary properly to perform the
work of the department; second, the
opinion OF Congress, Which a%ppropri-
ates money to pay salaries to the
number Of employees needed to per-
form the work OF the departments In
event Congress disagrees with the ex-
ecutives 1t cuts appropriations for
peyrolls so that reductions in number