Evening star., 1924-03-18
CHAPTER XIII.
Reorxanizing the Government Bureau

CHAPTER XIII. g.
Reorxs MIXING the Government Bureau"
When George Washington called
his cabinet together in 1883. five men
sat about the table with the Presi-
dent. They were Jefferson. Hami'
ton, Knox. Randolph and osgood
representing the State. Treasury
War, Justice and Post ONCE Depart
ments. respectively. All the activities
Of the government were then con-
fined to these five departments. each
under the direct supervision OF a
cabinet officer.
When President Coolidge calls his
cabinet together now. ten men SIT
about the table with him Since the
days OF Washington five new depart
ments. each represented by mem
ber Of the cabinet. have been or
ganized: Navy. Agriculture. Com
merce. Interior and Labor. Ten cabi-
net members now instead Of five orig
inally.. Yes. and in addition there are
thirty-three separate and independ-
ent departments today. carrying on
governmental work, but not under the
supervision Of any cabinet officer
When the President asks in the early
summer of each year for the esti-
mates of each department for the
coming year. he receives the esti-
mates directly from these thirty-three
Independent departments as we'll as
from his ten cabinet members.
Up to December II. 1920. the gov.
ernment had never attempted in its
whole history ito take stock Of all
it's activities, to distribute these ac.
tivities among its seve al services
and to group those services depart
mentally with view to bringing into
existence a thoroughly harmonious
and efficient organization Of its ad-
ministrative branch"
Result: The administrative ma
chinery of today fairly bristles with
defects. So a joint committee on re-
organization was created by Con-
and three representatives to Cd
: make a survey of such dunlications
and overlappings and CD determine
what redistribution OF activities
should be recommended to Congress
to achieve the greatest economy and
ment business.
survey lakcS
About a year later, May S. 1921. the
President was authorized by law to
appoint a representative to cooperate
with this committee. President Hard
ing appointed Walter S. Brown OF
Ohio to act in this capacity. The
committee itself selected Mr. Brown
to act as chairman. Then IL was
decided to postpone any further ac-
tion by the joint committee until Mr.
Brown had canvassed the situation
with the President and his cabine,
and was prepared to lay before the
committee a plan of action which
had the sanction of the President
and at the same time conformed to
resolution Of Congress Of December
II. 1920.
Brown worked quietly for two
years. He ran into much trouble
often blind and always stubborn. Blu,
on February IS. 1923, the President
in a letter laid his program before
the committee, saying that the
changes, with few exceptions, nota-
bly, that Of co-ordinating all agencies
of national defense, had the sanction
Of the cabinet"
While the Brown committee was al
work, another very careful and eff
cient organization was also studying
the whole problem. 1t was the Insti-
TUE for Government Research, about
which we have spoken in an earlier
chapter in connection with the bu-
reau of the budget. 1t, too, made q
report and submitted plan of re:
committee has had before it the re-
suits Of two Independent studies.
These studies brought four major
principles out in bold relief:
% That the type of organization
mental one.
(2) That q clear distinction should
be drawn between those services
which are OF a purely administrative
character and those which are of a
other special character, and that the
attempt to apply the principle OF
Observation-Disclosures should only be
made in reference to the first
Group BY Purpose or Function.
ca That the principle Of depart
naturalization should be that of group
ing services according to their pur-
poss or function rather than the char
acter of activities engaged in.
90 That each department should
as far as practicable be made one in
the sense that 1t will embrace only
those services whose special func-
tions pertain to the general function
for the carrying out of which the
department Ia established.
Now let US turn to the plans. We
will show in comparison the existing
departmental system, then that rec
commended by President Harding
which we will call the Brown plan,
and that suggested by the Institute
for Government Research. whicn we
will call the Willoughby- plan:
Present system
1. State.
2. War.
g.. Navy.