Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1922-02-09
READ LANES DIAGNOSIS

In his final report to the President,
upon completing his work as secre-
tary Of the interior, Franklin X. Lane
sketched with a sure hand out of the
abundance Of his experience the pres
ent Washington condition: /.
The call is for thinking. planning, engi-l
neering, craftsmanship. For we are quick
~ passing out Of the rough-and-ready
period Of our national life. in which we
have dealt wholesale with men and
things, into period of more intensive.
development, in which we must seek to
find the special qualities of the Individual
unit whether that unit be an acre Of,
desert. barrel Of oil, q mountain
canyon. the flow Of . river or the capac-
ity Of the humblest Of men. a.
ITO conquer and to master-the same!
old task is ours: but not in the same old
way. We have discovered this land and
made 1t ours, but this is not the end
of our journey, for now we are to give
thought, the deepest thought, to the ways
In which 1t may be made to yield most
abundantly in the things which COM
pick society with most imperious curi-s
osity demands.
Washington IL q combination Of politi-
cal caucus. dra wing-room and civil serv-
ice bureaus. It contains statesmen who.
are politicians and politicians who arc
not statesmen. 1t is rich IN brains and
In character. It IL honest beyond any,
commercial standard. It wishes to do
everything that will promote the public
good. But 1t 10 poorly organised for the.
task that belongs to Il Fewer men Of.
larger capacity would do the task better.
Ability il not lacking, but 1t Ia pressed
to the point Of paralysis because of an;
innnitude Of details and an unwillingness
on the part Of the great body Of public
servants to take responsibility. Every
one seems to be afraid Of everyone. The
self-protective sense 10 developed abnor.i
mally. the creative sense atrophies. Trust,
confidence, enthusiasm-these simple vir-
tues Of all great business are the ones
most lacking In government organization
We have 80 many checks and brakes
upon our work that our. progress does
not keep pace with the nations require.
ments. We could save money for the
government II we had moro discretion a.
to how we should use that given us.
For the body OF the civil servants there
should be quicker promotion or discharge
and q sure insurance when disability
comes. Far the; higher administrative
officers there should DO salaries twice %
nigh as those now given. and they should
be made to feel that they are the ones
responsible for the work Of the depart.
ment, the head being merely an adviser
and , constructor Of policies. s.
Al matters are now devised there ara
too few In thu government whose bust.
ness II 10 to plan. Every man is held To
detail. to the narrower view. which comes
too often to be the department view or
some sort Of parochial view. We need
for the day that 10 here and upon I'd
men who have little to do but study thu
problems Of the time and test their ca
paclty at meeting them. In word, ~
need more opportunity for planning. On.
fixed authority and responsibility below
The employment methods Of the gov.
eminent could 30 improved. Under
the civil services law Of 1883 . gosd