The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-11-22
CUT IN j. 5.
BUREAUS
URGED
Government Departments, in
Many Instances, Duplicate
Efforts Of States
By WILLIAM HARD.


In the opinion of some of the
Wisest of Neutrality-suspicious., the
keynote of the immediate future
In Washington is going to be q
fresh fight, and a positive and
not merely negative fight, against
certain recent centralizing and
federalizing tendencies in this
country.
Not only will new projects for
further Capitalization and federal
ization be strenuously resisted,
but certain things already done in
the direction of Capitalization and
liberalization will be reversed and
repealed if critics and opponents
Of them are successful in their
present optimistic plans.
Complaints are Many.
The complaints in washington
against the consequences Of recent
centralizing and federalizing tend
encies have become voluminous and
violent. In the opinion Of many
distinguished legislators and admin
istrators here, there Ii no question
before the American people SO
fundamental and so worthy Of
nationwide discussion and OF def
mite determination as the question
having to do with the further bur-
dening, or disburdening. Of the Fed.
era1 Government in respect of the
daily duties imposed upon Il.
One OF the best known Of the
justices Of the Supreme Court said
the other day in conversation with
this writer:
II have just been going over a lot
Of the cases on two points on which
the Federal Government il now
unnecessarily called upon to dupli-
cate the labors Of local govern
ments.
Law on Fraud.
The first has to do with fraud.
II you defraud q man, you commit
. local offense. The local State
law condemns you and the local
State courts can try you and con-
xict you and sentence you.
However, we also have provided
that If in the course of defrauding
somebody you have used the malls,
then you have committed also a
Federal offense.
"The lack of necessity and the
lack of sense in this DEVELOPMENT
are apparent. The point OF the
crime is not logically in the use Of
the mails. The point OF the crime
logically is In the fraud, which is
iocai. There is no sense In making
1t also Federal.
"Similarlv If Won rtaoY a -. Az. -.
OF silk out of a railroad freight car.
It IS a robbery and can be punished
Dy local laws and local courts.
However, we have provided addi-
tionally that If you steal q pack.
age or silk out Of railroad freight
car moving in interstate commerce,
II is an offense against the United
states Government and can be
brought into the Federal courts.
Local Responsibility Diminished.
This duplication is simply a part
OF the recent tendency to enact a,
Federal law about almost anvfhine
IN addition to all the local laws
already in existence on the same
point. 1t diminishes local responsi-
oiilty. 1t undermines the strongest
Pillar OF the republic, which is local
selr-government. It concentrates
everything toward a capital city.
remote from most of the country.
1t shrinks the base Of our national
political and judicial activities and
swells the overhead. What we
need is tendency precisely in the
opposite direction. We need to en-
large the local base and shrink the
Federal overhead"
The view expressed by this JUS.
tice of the Supreme Court is a view
which, within this writer's observa-
tion and experience at Washington.
mas gained ground steadily here.
Few Washingtonians today look
with any easily won approval at
any plan for more Federal laws,
more Federal administrators at
Washington, more FEDERAL inspec-
tors traversinE the country,
II they are obliged to, embrace
such plans, they do 1t reluctantly.
The proof Of necessity now de-
manded by them from the advocates
OF such plans is much larger and
heavier than 1t used to be.
Progressives like Senator Borah
or Idaho, radicals like Senator
Shipstead of Minnesota, rnoderates
like Secretary of Commerce Hoover.
so-called conservatives like Presi.
dent Coolidge, so-called reaction.
aries like Senator Wadsworth or
New York, today all display nm
almost equal recoil from the re.
cent passion for having more fed
eral government in order to have
more federal government.
Tide Is Turning
The tide is turning from fed.
eralization to localization.
This is why even the proposed
child labor amendment to the Fed.
eral Constitution is having such a
pad time in various parts of the
country
This is why that amendment il
getting no great amount OF driv.
ing, energetic, enthusiastic suDport
even from those who conscientious.
~ voted for 1t in Washington.
RMS is why, further; even the
proposal for a new federal depart
nfent or education may have bad
time in Congress.
The advocates Of such depart
ment are able to point to a RrievolIs
educational situation in the United
States.
They show, for instance. that in
our five richest States the amount
, OF money spent for education nar
cnlid IS $5O.37, while In our five
poorest states the amount of
Iney spent Tor education per
In the backs of their heads they