Evening star., 1923-10-10
HUGHES OUTBURST
OCCASIONS GOSSIP
Secretary Protests Heavy
Demands of Outsiders Upon
Time of Officials.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Secretary hughes speech protest
ing that too many organizations and
individuals outside the government
make a practice of bothering federal
officials and that about half the time
is given by public executives Ito
contacts that are really unnecessary"
occasioned today not a little gossip
as to just what the head of the De-
partment of State had in mind.
For many months there have been
repeated requests from the outside
from various societies and associa-
tions who feel that they should make
known to the Secretary of State their
views on foreign policy. Their sug-
gestions range all the way from a
plea that the soviet government in
Russia be recognized to demands that
the colored man in Haiti be freed
from American restraint.
MIR. Hughes has no OBJECTION to get
ting the views of all kinds of organi-
cations. but what he finds is that the
same things that are said to him
can usually be put in writing just as
well and time saved. To refuse to
give his time to various organizations
of national scope leads to bad feel
ing and all sorts of i'll effects for the
administration. To give ones time
means, as Mr.. Hughes describes it.
countless intrusion upon serious
work"
Is StudiOus Type.
Mr.. Hughes is the type of man who
likes to concentrate on his work. He
is of the reflective and studious class
of statesmen. While he recognizes
that the press, for instance, is an i'm
portant institution and he gives at
least twenty minutes of his time near
.E..,~. h
the correspondents in order to answer
their many questions, there is not the
slightest doubt that he wishes even
that task could be spared, so that he
could work uninterruptedly when he
wants to do so.
Then there is the feeling that the
press by it's enterprise discusses in
print many delicate situations which
might be more easily adjusted by the
government itself if the press re-
ports didn't produce definite impress
sions on the minds of those with
whom the Department of State is in
the process of negotiation. Some
times a situation is completely al
tered by the necessity of denying or
amplifying an innocently intended
press report that has produced irri-
tatfon.
When Secretary Mellon of the
Treasury Department took office he
IS said to have remarked to his
friends that government portfolio
wasn't a bit like a private business,
because nearly half of his time had
to be given to members of Congress
who were seeking jobs for their
friends. Personnel problems that
ought to be handled by lesser eXecu-
tives were thrust upon the head of
department by the insiStence of men,
bers of the Legislative branch of the
government, to incur whose i'll will
was not wise for the department
head, who must go before Congress
to get needed appropriations or sane
tion for other acts.
Misses Old Freedom.
Secretary Hughes has spent great
many years on the Supreme Court of
the United States where neither the
press nor outside organizations can
take up any time of the court. The
judges regulate their own time. What
Mr.. Hughes misses is that freedom
which he enjoyed on the bench when
he could work all day on legal
opinion if necessary and turn out a
satisfactory piece of work without
being harassed by a dozen different
demands on his time.
The Department of State is an eX-
ceptionally busy institution nova
days. 1t began to develop unprec-
edented Importance with the out
break of the European war in 1914
and there are literally thousands of
QueatiOHS HdHS iH5 oN0l llohI tiIc wal
period. Besides the formulation of
a policy, the Secretary of State must
give time to conference with the
bureau chiefs and subordinates and
also watch the administrative side of
the whole organization. To be
obliged to receive callers day in and
day out. who could just as we'll
write what they have to say is what
Mr.. Hughes had in mind in his chiding
remarks last night when he referred
to the "unceasing requirements of
those who have little to do with
public business and by their constant
uncertainties for extra official atten-
tion use up the nervous energy which
should be devoted to public service"
Copyright. 1921