Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1922-01-06
MAY REORGAN|zE
The DEPARTMENTS
CONGRESS WILL TAKE ACTION
ON REPORT SUBMITTED BY
BROWNS COMMITTEE.
SOME OPPOSITION EXPECTED
Plan contempIates Consolidation of
War and Navy Departments and the
Creation of a New Department of
Public Welfare.
BY EDWARD B. CLARK

ments of government. The details of
reorganization are many and somewhat
intricate. 1t is expected that the re-
posed Of members of congress, except
for its chairman, who is Walter f.
Brown of Ohio, will submit re-
organization bill to congress by the
presidential route. This means that it
will have the sanction Of the Chief
Executive.
There has been variance of opinion
among cabinet members as to the
wisdom of some of the things which
are to be proposed. 1t seems to be
virtually assured today that the bill
for reorganization will include prop
osition for the consolidation of the
War and Navy departments into a
greater department of defense with a
chief secretary at Its. head and with
mdersecretaries for war and navy,
The plan also will include recon-
mendation for the establishment Of a
department Of public welfare which
Is to include great many bureaus
and divisions which now are working
under other departments of the public
service. In the department of public
probably will be the bureau of educa-
ton, the public health service and a
good many other branches of the gov
eminent which in a general way are
connected with what loosely has been
called curative, uplifting and benef-
cent endeavor.
Consolidation viii Be Opposed.
1t is almost certain that there will
be opposition in congress to the change
contemplated by the War and Navy
departments. 1t is urged that money
will be saved by the consolidation of
the two military branches of the SER
vice and that some duplication of work
can be done away with, but there also
is a feeling that the two services, al
though both are military, are SO dis
similar in their lines Of endeayor and
action that independence for each is
needed.
There is another matter which enters
into this question Of the consolidation
of the War and Navy departments.
It is that of preferment to the high
Office of secretary Of the department
of defense. Who is to be promoted
to the position, and will the present
secretary Of war and the present
secretary of the navy, if neither Is to
be given promotion, be satisfied to re-
main as undersecretaries? This mat
ter, of course, is personal one and
has to do with the ambitions of men,
or with the disinclination of either
one of the present chiefs to continue
in service as subordinate to one who
has been simply an official of equal
rank The personal end of this con-
troversy probably can be taken care
of, but before matters finally are adj
1ufsted 1t is believed there will be
some heart burnings and possibly a
resignation or two from the govern
ment service.
There will be opposition, also, to the
establishment of department of well
fare. The President long ago ex-
pressed his desire for such a depart
ment, and it was rumored that he in
tended to make DIR. Charles e. Sawyer
Of Marion, o., who was appointed to
the reserve corps and now is tenn
porarily on the active list, to be the
chief of the new department.
Why Educators Object.
Opposition to the department of
public welfare in congress will come
from men who do not believe that
the direction Of certain activities of
the government should be taken away
from the departments which now are
directing them, and placed under the
supervision of a new branch of the
government. It is understood that the
bureau of education does not wish to
be transferred from it's place in the
department Of the interior Moreover,
there is a fairly strong feeling in the
country, and it has been made mani
fest in washington, that there should
be a department of education inde-
pendent of all other departments.
The educators who take this view
Of the matter say that the condition
Of illiteracy in the United States is
appalling and that the subject of edu-
cation is vital enough to the govern
ment to justify and more than justify
the establishment of separate de-
partment with cabinet officer at it's
head
Some one has been figuring on the
saving which will accrue to the govern
ment if the report of the reorganiza-
ton committee is accepted by con-
gress. One student of the situation
has said that the saving will be some
thing more than million dollars a
day. This means, of course, 1855, 000,-
600 a year, which is good deal of
money, but when men are pressing for
some departure from the usual pro-
ceedings in government they are apt
to be over-optimistic and perhaps also
to be extravagant in their claims of
the good that is to result
Partisan Activity Continuous.
Congress is in session and coinci-
dent with it there is an inter-