Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1922-08-11

btaft Nv ~ tHlOOSh tHC PiVNNSS Va W
ing "inltialed" up and down until an
answer was ready to be forwarded.
This red tape process frequently con-
sumed days, but the prevailing view
was that tradition must be followed or
the government would probably not
survive
Use the Phone, Said Clifford.
"Ail these administrative depart
ments are connected by telephones. /
take It," said Assistant Secretary Cliff
ford one day to a member of his Office
force.
''Oh yes, we have perfect telephone
service between the departments" was
the response.
"Well. think we will use the tele-
phone In transacting some Of this
business instead of writing so many
letters" said Clifford.
That was the first step in the re-
form that has been successfully ac-
.complished. Clifford soon learned that
the "a assistant secretaries, four in
the Department of Justice, four in
the Post Office department, one in the
Navy department, one in the Depart
ment of Commerce, and one in the De
partment of Labor, were not even ac-
auainted There should be some CO.
operation in managing the business of
the federal government" said he. and
forthwith he proposed that the "a
secretaries In the administrative de-
partments hold a meeting and get ac-
auainted The invitation to this meet
ing was accepted by % of the "a as
sistants and before the evening was
over an organization had been per-
fected. 1t was agreed to meet each
Tuesday evening IN the week.
The outcome of the formation of
this organization by the assistant sec
retaries who, after all, are the men
who handle nine-tenths of the routine
business of Importance is that inter-
departmental business handled by
these secretaries has been greatly sim
pllhed. The telephone has practically
supplanted the stenographer, the type
writing machine and the mails.
Secretary MELONS Victory.
Apparently Andrew w. Mellon
secretary of the treasury, has won
a big victory over the Repub
lican politicians who set out to force
him to resign. His victory received
Its finishing touches when President
Harding decided to accept the resig
nation of Elmer Dover, an assistant
secretary and chief political heads
man. AS result Of various devel
Opments during the last few months
the merit system as applied to govern
ment services seems to be on sound
er foundation than at any time since
March A, 1921 The National. Civil
Service Reform league is entitled t
large measure of credit for the out
come. The league called attention
from time to time to what was goini
on and did this in an effective way.
The dismissal Of some thirty-fou
chiefs of divisions In the bureau o
engraving and printing without hear
ing, and without reference to the pre-
lection which the civil service law
supposed to give them, stirred up sucl
q commotion that no attempt has beel
made to repeat the performance Il
any OF the other branches of the GOV
eminent. 1t is generally understood
that the officials who were respons
BILE for those dismissals in the burea
now admit privately that the Who'll
performance was blunder; but n
steps toward correcting the mistak
have been taken.
After all. as things turned out. tn
bureau dismlssals were probably
good thing for the government servies
They served 10 call attention to pr
gram set up BY the spoilsmen for
general raid on the departments Tn
employees who were dismissed hav
nearly all obtained positions outsid
II the government service at much. be