, 1923-02-28
Drastic Reduction in Payroll


At THE CLOSE of last December there were
"a S3,913 less civilian employees on the government
payrolls than there we're when the Harding admin
istration came into power.
This by way of redeeming one of the promises of
the party platform and of the presidential can
didate.
The largest decreases are as follows: Treasury
department, 2Oy3OT; War department, 46,S56; De
%partment of Justice, SS5; Navy, 37,1G2; Commerce,
2,709; Labor, 507; Government Printing Office,
464; Interstate Commerce Commission, 419; Ship.
ping Board, 6,O3l; Panama Canal Zone, 4,62S.
The largest proportional decreases are those Of
the Treasury department, which has cut its forces
over onefourth; the War department, which has
cut its force One-half; the Navy, which has cut its
force 10 per cent; and the Shipping Board, which
has cut its force over &C per cent.
Democrats, unable to ~criticisr this tremendous
reduction of federal employees since the Wilson
administration went out of power, seek to con-
fuse the issue by showing the number of employees
today is much higher than it was under the Wilson
administration before the war. In other words,
they charge that the Harding administration is
not as economical in peace times as the Wilson
administration was.
The manifest unfairness of this comparison is
at once evident when We take into consideration
the fact that since 1915 there have come into ex-
istence, by reason of the war and by reason of legis.
lation, a great many federal activities which did
not exist in the early years of the Wilson regime.
For instance, there is the Veterans Bureau. which
on December 81, 1922, employed 1883. 1t did
not exist in 1915.
There was no Railroad administration in 1915.
That federal agency was created by the Wilson
regime and administered by McAdoO. 1t is still in
existence trying to close out the mess which Nc
Adoo left and TO do this it maintains a force of
1877.
There was no Shipping Board in 1915. The
Harding administration found that agency rammed
to the guards with Democratic henchmen and under
the present administration two-thirds of them have
been let out. However, until the shipping board
rynEti1D fE al h. 1narI 10 nnaInA IA rraHAnt
staff consists of 3,443.
There was no Alien Property Bureau in 1915.
That federal agency employees 49,.
There was no prohibition amendment to the
Constitution in 1915 and no Prohibition Bureau
for the purpose of enforcing the laws.
There was no restrictive immigration act in
1915 and no necessity of n very large force to see
to it that the provisions of this act are lived up to.
There was no Women's Bureau and no Children's
Bureau in connection with the Labor department in
1913.
The Income Tax Bureau of the Treasury depart
ment has been vastly increased since 1915 because
of the tremendous increase in the amount of bust
ness it must transact. Even with the Wilson re.
gime this bureau was four years behind in its au-
dts and collections when the Harding administra-
ton took charge.
ment that there are more employees in the govern
ment today than there were in 1915 proves moth
ing except the fact that the activities of the gov
eminent have become greater and therefore necessi-
tate n larger staff to handle the business.
The fair test of the Harding administration as to
its ability TO eliminte needless employees is fur.
nished by comparison of conditions when it came
into power and conditions today. When it came
into power there were 640,175 civilians on the
payrolls of the government. On December 81 last
there we're 556,262, a decrease, as stated above, of
S3,913.
Not only has the Harding administration reduced
the number of public employees by nearly $4,000,
but it is a matter of common knowledge that the
various departments are doing more work and do
ing 1t with greater dispatch with this reduced force.
Take tho Department Of Commerce, for example.
That department is doing infinitely more work
today than ever before in it's history. Secretary
Hoover has completely reorganized ii, adding a
score of new activities to serve the business in.
terests of the country more promptly and more
effectively. Its work is more u~p-to-date than ever
before. Yet it has dropped 200 from it's payrolls
in the process of this organization. The same may
be said of the Department of Justice, the U. s.
Shipping Board and other federal agencies.
Truth in History