The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-06-03
THE LIMIT

REACHING THE LIMIT
Soon or late the people OF this coun
try will wake up to the fact that thu
the people, or appointed by officials
elected by the people, are gradually
being taken owe by an increasing
army of federal officials, residents
primarily of other state, selected un-
der civil service rules and respons-
ible only to bureau chiefs in Washing
ton city, noe of whom, employees or
chiefs, are subject to removal from
office save for some fragrant offense.
The government at Washington,
under the present system, has be-
come a bureaucratic government.
Presidents and secretaries of
departments come and go; but
the men who really operate the
chiefs down, are under the protection
of the civil service rules, are not sub
ject to removal save for fragrant Of
lenses and have no sense of respons-
iDillLy ~ ILL 1SooOA " @ dD1J
sense of responsibility to the people
in any part of the country for any
Of their actions.
Commissioner Miles Cannon of the
Idaho department of agriculture has
recently procured some statistics,
showing the extent in which federal
activities are replacing state activi-
ties, in matters intimately concern
ing the people of the states. Here
are some examples: In h various
departments of agriculture of the sew
eral states there are, collectively
state officials and department heaus
operating under state authority and
paid by the sites, to the number OF
federal appointees, some paid in full
by the federal government, some paid
in part by the state n in part by the
federal government, but all under
orders from and responsible only to
the federal government at Washing
ton, which means in the last analysis
to the bureau civil service chiefs, to
the lumber Of 6,501. Under some
provisions of the new agricultural ap-
preparation bill, there will be many
more federal civil service employees
~ostensibly to cooperate with the state
authorities but actually to receive all
of their orders from bureau chiefs at
Washington, to whom alone they are
responsible.
The people, through their votes
can reach a state official or employee,
whose services are not satisfactory to
them. The federal employee can
laugh at their protests. He takes his
orders from his chief at Washington
who is himself under the protection
Of civil service rules, and to whom
the protests of the people of a distant
state would be a mere petty annoy
ance, not to be taken seriously.
Has not this gone about far enough?
e. l.. French, Washington State De-
partment of Agriculture.
- - -
For months past men who were sup
posed to be familiar with financial :
and able to see into the /
future, bankers especially, :
lave been driven to distraction by ,
requests for expressions as to what :
be expected to occur in a COM :
way in the country in the inn !
future. They tried to ans
wer the question without causing I'M
lue uneasiness and without, at the
they knew that conditions were far
rom good and there was not much /
likelihood of improvement for some
Now, however, there a
cen a definite change in conditions
or the better and the banker is no
forced to hedge when answer
1g the much repeated inquiry. re
IN say positively that conditions
country over, are better. Mills
had beer idle for months arc
in operation; farm products are
ringing more money than for the
asst two years and there is being
rought about an equalizing of value
i'd prices which had to come before
al prosperity could return to the
"a "a ~
According to the Pullman Herald,
e horseshoe tournament, held at
altman last Saturday, was a marked &,
recess, more than 800 men, at least
alf Of whom were farmers, taking II
.rt in the contests. These men were
! en- a days sport which they thor
lghly enjoyed. at z minimum eA--
,nse to the community. 1t ISM 1 H.