The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1922-02-17
Copyrieht. Western Nsvspape Unioa
CHANCE TO FIND OUT

K.
CHANCE TO FIND OUT
Just now a belated effort Is under
way to find out some Of the facts
shout government business and gov.
eminent employment. The Bureau of
~ Budget has been organized and
" IN operation under the direction Of
CHARLES g. Dawes.
ing on the problem of Redistribution
az government positions and salaries.
He Veterans bureau has been or.
aanized and has taken over the bureau
a var risk insurance, that part Of
~ public health service which had
to do with veterans. and all of the
work Of the federal board for voca-
,Asnai education except that part
WATCH had to do with the treatment Of
persons injured in the industries.
There is also the inquiry being made
~ the joint committee on the re-
organization of the administrative
branch Of the government Of the two
house Of congress, Of which I have
spoken. Walter F. Brown Of Ohio is
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-
i've 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:
Il h a matter Of common knowledge
that millions of dollars are wasted by
the government by the almost endless
application of activities. There mas been
NJ fundamental change in the admins
tTatfve activities since h organization
wa devised by Alexander Hamilton. and
Ne result 10 that activities entirely out
e4 harmony with the functions of depart
Monts 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 ac-
tavities, with the view that numerous
commissions and bureaus may be elimi-
mated and a great saving effected in the
governmental expenditures. The commit
tee feels that no more constructive legis-
lation Is possible under existing condi-
lions 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 measur
looking to real economy should
itself to the sympathetic attention Of the
house. and we feel hat the passage of
this resolution and the work of the COM
Mittee which will be done under it's au-
thority will result in the saving of mill
Hons 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 it. One thing Is al
ways true Of the house of repre-
sentatives-it is representative. If
we breathe warmly upon it, 1t CLOVIS.
II 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 adj
illustrative methods of the executive
departments was made by the Cockrell
commission in 1887. Six years later,
IN 1898, a Joint commission, Of which
Representative D0ckery was chairman,
a appointed to examine the status
u the laws organizing the depart.
Ments. President Roosevelt in 1905
named an interdepartmental committee,
ef which G. H. 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
It 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 1t.
But just now, at this moment, we
have the best chance we ever had to
md out about our common business
and how to improve 1t and lessen it's
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 facts
of government employment and govern
Ment business are in terms Of
estimates and approximations. This
Is one Of the defects of government
organization. 1t Is so large and SO
formless, and its parts so unrelated,
that exact and precise information
about the whole is virtually unob-
sainable.
1t is of the greatest urgency and
need that the people shall know
about their government, but they will