The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-04-06

WASHINGTON, d. c., April o.
The cabinet officer said--almost any
cabinet officer-or if that is getting
too near the king row let us say that
the head of a brueau-any kind of a
bureau--said: "
Il passionately dissent from your
ruling, Mr.. McCarl. You are a tyrant
and spoil-sport and anyhow, this is
none of your business. You have no
authority to interfere with the manner
in which 1 conduct my department"
1t is almost certain that Comptroller
General j. Raymond McCarl grinned.
Not laughed. He is quiet, easy going,
soft-spoken, hard-headed. iron-handed
person who looks like Catholic priest
but isn't. He does not waste time in
laughing A grin is just as expressive,
takes less energy and can be put through
in less than one twenty fifth of the
time. as shown by tests. What he said
to the cabinet officer or the bureau
head was, wrapped : up neatly in
phrases: at
Makes His Attitude Plain
Il am not interfering with the con-
duet of affairs in your department. But
you cannot get the money. Can not.
that money you get it. Not until"
used to think that the director of
the budget was the best hated man in
Washington by the men of the execu-
tive departments. That was because
lie and his aides go galumphing through
the departmental records, trying and
usually succeeding in proving that any
department can be run at great deal
loe fhan he CD hno
will admit But I've changed my mind.
McCarl is the best hated. He is the
man who catches the departmental ex-
ecutives at their little tricks. No man
likes to be caught at little trick.
That sounds as though the depart
mental executives are coming in for a
paddling. On the other hand, admire
most of them beyond measure. The
reason why they try to gouge sums out
of the United STAKES treasury to which
their departments or bureaus are not
entitled is because they are enthusi.
astic. two-fisted, fire-eyed lovers of their
particular jobs.
High Cost OF CockrOach Killing
The man who is entrusted. with the
task OF seeing that the waggle- tailed
cockroach shall not propagate unreason-
ably feels that his assignment is the
important one of his generation. He
would sink the army and navy, burn
up Teapot Dome and sell the national
parks to put crimp in the cockroach's
amOrOus activities. He always needs
more money. All departmental execu-
tiyes always do. But Congress says
that the cost of cockroach killing shall
be held in certain bounds.
Here's a way out" the cockroach
killer says to himself.
He finds a neat little way in which
little more money can be secured for
his little job, hidden under a neat little
blanket of subterfuge. And he gets the
money, because the disbursing officer
of his department, is in sympathy with
him, or does not know any better.
Naturally he spends the money. Then,
in the fulness of time, the account
comes before Comptroller General Nc
Carl, who is the only watchdog the
United States treasury ever had, and
l can come mighty near proving it.
Illegal But Not Dishonest
That isn't Legal says McCarl. "You
had no authority to draw and spend
that money. You must put it back in
the Treasury"
This isn't fancy case. Or if it is,
that sort of fancy case comes before
McCarl almost every day. Every one
in it is honest and one-tracked and
earnest-eyed, mind you. No grating or
extravaganza at all. The money was
carefully spent for a good end. But it
wasn't the cockroach mans money to
spend. Hence he must put it back.
That's the law. McCarl is the case
hardenend and cold-drawn embodiment
Of the law.
But" says the cochroach man, and
goes on to prove everything. The money
was well spent, more should have been
spent, no one got a dirty nickel out
of it, if 1t had not been spent billions
of cockroaches would right now be
chalking out quarters on Capitol hill.
McCarl does not bother to discuss this
phase of the case. He may, privately,
admit all that is said Only the law
had not provided that the cockroacher
should have the money and the money
must be put back.
No Appeal From His Decisions
1--WE will appeal to the Attorney
General" is one of the first things the
aggrieyed cochroach mans chief usual
ly says.
Well, that's all right, too. But the
appeal is just exactly no good at all.
McCarl doesn't care how many appeals
are made to the Attorney General. Or