Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-14
Plan TO SHIFT ]. S.
BUREAUS DOOMED.
Harding's Scheme Of Reorgani-
zation Apparently Has
Been Sidetracked
CABINET MEMBERS DIFFER
by CLINTON W. GILBERT

NVrtVSpVUueut FNfutuk
Copyright. 1872. bv Pnb'ic Ledger Conpanv
Washington. July 14.-Thc depart
mental REORGANIZATION plan on which
President Harding has had Walter
Brown. Of Ohio. working for some
months seems to be definitely side
tracked and perhaps will never be heard
from again. II has been impossible to
reconcile the claims Of various depart.
ments.
Mr.. Harding said some time ago that
he did not have 80 per cent agreement
among his Cabinet members about the
shifting of the various bureaus about
into a more logical system. And ap-
parently he never has been able to get
more than that 80 per cent agreement.
And It has been felt NOR important to
preserve harmony in the Cabinet and to
introduce logis into the Government or
ganization.
And without an agreement in the
Cabinet and among the various civic or
ganizations interested in the various
activities Of the Government 1t would
be impossible to bring about the pas
sage of the reorganization through Con-
gress.
Clash Over Forestry Bureau
The sharpest disagreement has been
over the shifting of the Forestry Du-
rcau from the Departments Asricul-
turc to the Department Of the Interior.
This Is an old question. dating bnck
from the time of the Bullingcr- -rinchot
dispute and 1t is not any nearer solu-
ton now than it was when Walter
Brown began his work.
The control of public lands generally
is in the Interior Department under
the control of Secretary Fall. 1t is
illogical that the control Of the public
forests should not be where the control
Of the rest of he public domain is.
But Secretary Fall Is not n conscrva-
ZIONIST. And the friends of conservation
have been much opposed to the transfcc
of the forests to his hands. This OPP
position has especially increased since
his much criticized leasing Of the oil
reserve of Teapot Dome for private err
orally holding the opinion that this dis
position of the property was not ncccs.
sary on the grounds given by the In
terror Department.
The convcrSationists have strongly
supported Secretary Wallace in his de-
termination to KEEP the Forestry Bureau
in his department.
Whole Project Pigconloled
IrcSluent Harding was inclined at one
time to favor Mr.. Fall in this contro.
vcrsy. But perhaps the criticism of
the Teapot Dome lease had its inilu-
cnce on the President. for at any rate
the dispute has not been settled in Mr..
Falls favor and there Is good authority
for saying that the whole rcorgnniza-
ton project is virtually pigeonholed.
1t is reported that Secretary Fall
once in Cabinet meeting asked Secretary
Wallace if their positions were inter-
changed would he still be opposed to
the reorganization. Mr. Wallace de-
clined to be committed and then Mr..
Fall said that there was nothing per-
sonal in his position and that he would
be willing to turn over all control Of
! the public domain to his colleague in the
Department of Agriculture. This sug-
gcstion was SO impossible on its face
| that perhaps it was not seriously made.
At any rate. it was not adopted as Il
! way out
In general the Cabinet members are
jealous Of the powers they possess and
unwilling to yield any of them in the
interests Of reorganization. So the whole
plan seems to have fallen through.
The effort is chiefly of academic i'm
portance. 4 study has been made which
shows what Il proper organization should
be. 1t has cost the Government little.
for it was mostly the work of experts
already in the Federal employ.