The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1922-06-08

pcililtuIcS VI the SONel uulSul "SAS
about one-quarter of what they are
now, he became exercised and con-
cerned about the higgledy -piggledy, un-
scientific, disorderly, grab-bag methods
for public purposes. He said then
what is equally true now, that the
activities of the national government
"are almost as varied al those of the
entire business world. The operations
Of the government affect the interest
of every person living within the
jurisdiction of the United States. Its
organization embraces stations and
centers Of work located in every city
and in many local subdivisions of the
country.
This vast organization has never
been studied in detail as n piece
Of administrative mechanism. Never
have the foundations been laid for q
thorough consideration Of the relations
Of all its parts. No comprehensive eff
fort has been made to list its multi
farious activities or to group them
in such a way as to present a clear
picture Of what the government Is
doing. Never has a complete descrip-
ton been given Of the agencies through
which these activities are performed.
AT no time has the attempt been
made to study all Of these activities
and agencies with a view to the as
signment Of each activity to the
agency best fitted for its performance,
to the avoidance Of duplication of
plant and work, to the indignation of
all administrative agencies Of the
government, SO far as may be
practicable, into a unified organization
for the most effective and economical
dispatch Of public business"
This extraordinary and indefensible
situation, which exists today az fully
and completely as it did when Mr..
Taft portrayed it Y e years ago,
anne about quite naturally and simply
through our tolerance and slackness.
For years and years the government
lived and grew and extended it's &C
tivities on Santa Claus money. Its in
come came as easily as money In
a letter. For years and years the
national income was greater than the
expenses. Every year there was q
surplus.
The government was precisely In the
position Of the Rockefellers and the
Carnegies and the Rothschilds. Ita
problem was not how to get money
enough to live on, but how to spend
III income. 1t naturally got in the
way Of throwing some Of it to the
birds. It lived IKE q remittance mar
You may remember that back in the
time Of the first Cleveland administra.
tion q Of the problems Of public
discussion was, "What shall be done
with the surplusf' Then there was q
change Of administration and Corpora
Tanner was made commissioner ID
pensions. The whole country wai
amused and had a hearty laugh when
he announced his policy: "God helI
the surplusr" Them was the halcyor
daysi 49,
Mr.. Gilbert, the present undersecre
tary Of the treasury, In m address,
said: is q 4e ~ %@e r.
, "The estimates for the year 1871
show that over a billion dollars Of *
penditures were authorised by tho Ian
session Of congress In addition 70 thu
amount shown IN the usual compiled
statements Of appropriations. In faet
the practice has reached such proper
lions % to be aimosts a national
scandal, and H was vigorously 10
nounced In the Presfdent's last annual
message.
IF has become de first prfncipls
of strategy On the part 81 people ID
terested ID appropriations for varioul
special purposes 10 frame the rnatt1l
n q 70 ~authorise TIE NE of tl
Dublfc funds indirectIy, d N fnde0nitl
- an~the119afn W
p1nMtu1e u dnsz6Sh4Sd bala1cea, ID
- apprcpEiated oriE1nallx sOr etn