Ellsworth American., 1922-02-08
CHANCE TO FIND OUT

OuoI INV a DCldlSu CllOLL 10 uAdCA
way to find out some Of the facts
about government business and gov
ernment 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 reclassifcation
of government positions and salaries.
The Veterans bureau has been or
ganfzed 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 re-
organization Of the administrative
branch Of the government Of the two
house Of congress, of which 1 have
spoken. Walter f. Brown of Ohio Is
chairman Of this committee, represent
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:
1t 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 adminis-
trative activities since the organization
was devised by Alexander Hamilton, and
the result Is that activities entirely out
of harmony with the functions of depart
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 ac-
tivities, with the view that numerous
commissions and bureaus may be elimi-
mated and a great saving effected in the
governmental aynQpdifuraq Tho rnit-
tee feels that no more constructive legis-
lation Is possible under existing copdi-
tions than the legislation proposed by
the resolution. With the present condi-
ton of the nations finances and the bur-
dens the people suffer because of excess
sive 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 Its au-
thority will result in the saving of mil
lions annually.
1t can be predicted with considerable
assurance that nothing will come of
this proposed voyage Of discovery un-
less we, the shareholders In the enter
prise, maintain an active, lively, sus-
tanned interest in 1t. One thing Is al
ways true Of the house of repre-
sentatives-it is representative. If
we breathe warmly upon it, 1t glows.
If we are Indifferent 1t becomes cold.
This isn't the first time that a plan
has been set >in motion to find out
something about how the governments
business Is conducted.
The earliest inquiry into the ad->
ministrative methods Of the executive
departments was made by the Cockrell
commission in 1887. Six years later,
In 1893, joint commission, of which
Representative Dockery was chairman,
was appointed to examine the status
Of the laws organizing the depart
ments. President Roosevelt in 1905
named an interdepartmental committee,
Of which @. 81. Keep, assistant secre-
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 I-commonly and vaguely
known as the public-were not in
terested, and neither was congress.
That ended 1t.
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 1t and lessen its
cost to us. The burden Of supporting
1t is heavier than ever before.
You will perhaps notice all through
these articles that the information
supplied me about the general facts
of government employment and govern
ment business are In terms of
estimates and approximations This
Is one Of the defects of government