Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1922-02-01

Copyright. Western Newspaper Union
d. " x.
CHANCE TO FIND OUT
Just now belated effort is under
way to find out some Of the faSts
about government business and gov
eminent employment. The Bureau OF
the Budget has been organized and
is in operation under the direction OF
Charles G.. Dawes.
Both houses of congress are work
ing on the problem of reclassihcation
Of government positions and salaries.
The Veterans bureau, has been or
ganized and has taken over the bureau
Of war risk insurance, that part OF
the public health service which had
to do with veterans, and all Of the
work of the federal board for voca-
tional education except that part
which had to do with the treatment Of
persons injured in the industries.
There is also the inquiry being made
by the joint committee on the ne
organization Of the administrative
branch of the government of the two
house of congress, of which 1 have
spoken. Walter F. Brown Of Ohio 10
chairman Of this committee, represent
ing President Harding. The members
of the committee are, on the part Of
the senate, Senators Smoot of Utah,
Harrison Of Mississippi and Wads-
worth Of New York. The members on
the part Of the house are Repre-
sentatives Reavis of Nebraska, Temple
Of Pennsylvania and Moore Of Virginia.
The job of this joint committee Is
to make a survey of the administra-
tive services of the government for the
purpose of securing all pertinent facts
regarding their powers and duties,
their distribution among the several
executive departments, and the over
tapping and duplication Of authority"
In reporting the resolution from the
judiciary committee to the house the.
members were told:
It is matter of common knowledge
that millions of dollars are wasted by
the government by the almost endless
duplication of activities. There has been
no fundamental change in the admins
trative activities since the organizat ton
was devised by Alexander Hamilton, and
the result is that activities entirely out
of harmony with the functions of depart
ments have grown with the passing years
until the government of the United States
has become not only the biggest business
in the world, but the worlds worst man
aged business.
The purpose Of the resolution is to
ascertain so far as possible the extent
of the overlapping and duplication Of &C
tivities, with the view that numerous
commissions and bureaus may be eAnAl-
mated and a great saving effected in the
governmental expenditures. The commit
tee feels that no more constructive legis-
lation is possible under existing conih-
tons than the legislation proposed by
the resolution. With the present coadi-
ton of the nations finances and the bur
dens the people suffer because of e2ces-
sve taxation, any, legislative measure
looking to real economy should commend
itself to the sympathetic attention of the
house. and we feel that the passage Of
this resolution and the work of the com
mittee which will be done under it's AL
thority will result In the saving OF NIL
lions annually.
It can be predicted with considerable
assurance that nothing will come Of
this proposed voyage Of discovery m
less we, the shareholders in the enter
prise, maintain an active, lively, sus-
tanned interest in it. One thing Is; al
ways true of the house of re3pe-
sentatives-it is representative. It
we breathe warmly upon it, it glews.
If we are Indifferent it becomes ooh.
This isn't the first time that q pan
has been set in motion to find cut
something about how the governments
business is conducted. - @.
The earliest inquiry into the ad-
ministrative methods Of the exclusive
departments was made by the Cockrell
commission in 1887. Six years later,
In 1893, a joint commission, of whish
Representative Dockery was chairman,
was appointed to examine the status
Of the laws organizing the depart
ments. President Roosevelt in 1895
named an interdepartmental committee,
Of which G. H. Keep, assistant secDe-
tary Of the treasury, was chairman, to
consider department methods. Presi-
dent Taft in turn, in 1910, named a
commission on economy and efficiency
Of which Frederick Cleveland was
chairman.
Broadly and generally speaking,
nothing came Of these enterprises.
You and commonly and vaguely
known as the public-were not IN
terested, and neither was congress.
That ended it. g.
But just now, at this moment, we
have the best chance we ever had to
find out about our common business
and how to improve it and lessen rs
cost TO us. The burden Of supporting
it is heavier than ever before.
You will perhaps notice all through
these articles that the information
supplied me about the general faete
Of government employment and govesa-