Evening star., 1925-09-23
REORCAN|Z|NCPLAN
FATE IS IN BALANCE.
Smoot- Brown Proposal May
Be Abandoned by Coolidge
If Better One Offers.
BY j. RUSSELL YOUNG.

orga ntZing the executive departments
of the Federal Government II the lat.
ter is found to have little chance Oh
success at the next session OIL Con-
gress.
President Coolidge is just as insist
ent as ever upon legislation TO attain
reorga nization and is going TO see 10
1t that 1t Is given a prominent place
in the legislative program the coming
session of Congress. But he Is known
to feel very doubtful about Its klndly
treatment when it finally comes before
Congress. Besides this. the President
is understood TO feel that the Smoot-
Brown plan. even though 1t passes.
will not make 1t possible to bring
about a logical and effective reorganl-
zation. or the kind OF Improvement he
is looking for.
Realizes Its Weakness.
Those close to the President say
there is no mistaking his belief that
reorganization Is absolutely essential
in the interest of efficiency and econ
omy He is determined that some
thing, be done without further delay
He has put his stamp of approval
upon the Smoot- Brown plan, but ne
is represented as feeling now that as
1t stands 1t is far from a model.
President Coolidge Is not one TO act
quickly. That is. he rarely acts upon
rash Judgment. Therefore II he drops
the Smoot- Brown reorga nization plan,
and turns to some other plan, 1t Will
= be only after due deliberation and
careful study of all the complexities
involved, and most important will be
what he considers in the best interest
of the Government.
Senator Edges plan to turn the
whole matter over to the Executive
and give him sweeping powers to
transfer and coordinate Government
activities at will unquestionably inn
pressed President Coolidge as having
merit. He has not given 1t any real
serious thought. but on its face 1t does
not look so bad to him. He has ad-
mitted that much. He also has ad-
mitted that he would be in favor OF
any practical plan that can be en-
acted.
1t Is thought not unlikely that the
subject may be brought up at cab
met session in the near future, mas
much as each member Of the Presi-
dents portfolio is directly interested in
reorga niZation. Some of the cabinet
have given the impression that their
interest in reorganization is nothing
much more than an interest in IT only
so far his individual department
u
bers of the Presidents official family
who have given this great govern
mental problem considerable thought
and study, are eager to put their
shoulder to the wheel this Winter to
get through a real organization meas
ure.
Oppose One-Man Feature.
One of the latter class of the cab
met said today that while he believes
Senator Edges proposal has consider
able merit he doubts the wisdom of
vesting the Executive as an individual
with such unlimited powers. The Pres
!dent already is burdened down with
far too much direct administrative
labor and authority. The plan ad-
vanced by Senator Edge also might
tend to set up cry of "despotism," 1t
is contended.
This cabinet member, along with
other officers high in the administra-
ton, Is not very hopeful regarding
the outcome of the Smoot Brown plan
this Winter. Besides this, they have
no hesitancy in saying that even If it
passes. IT will not answer the pur-
pose of reorganization. AS the plan
stands today, and as II will be sub
mitted to Congress, it has been shorn
of it's best features. Since the plan
has been in the making at the Capitol
practically every item originally ap-
proved by the President and his cab
met has met with opposition Of some
vested official, or it has disturbed
some vested habit and offended some
organized minority. Also, 1t has
aroused the paid propaga ndists. Pc:
culiarly enough, all these vested
officials, vested habits. organized pro-
pagandists are In favor of every Item
of reorganization in the administra-
tons original plans except that which
affects the bureau or the activity In
which they are specially interested.
The plan from its origin has been
bitterly opposed. If the opposition
10 certain items has always been so
great that every time the bill was
ready for consideration on the floor
more changes were made IN 1t. until
finally, it became surrounded with
a confusing fog Of opposition.
The President is not unmindful of
all this and it Is thought that he Will
come to the conclusion that tnasmuch
as the original plan has been so radi-
caTy changed and trimmed down, 1t
utterly fails to meet the purposes OF
reorganization. He may therefore
abandon that bill and get behind
something that will not only give
more promise Of passage but which
will give more evidence Of making
practical reorganization possible.
Coolidge Noncommittal.
Whether the President will shift
over to the Edge proposal or some
other plan, yet to be made known, is
a matter of conjecture. To sum up
the Presidents ideas, first Of all there
must be a grouping of all agencies of
the Government having the same pre-
dominant major purposes under the
same administrative supervision. Then
there should be a separation of the
semi judicial and the semi-legislative
and advisory functions, placing the
former under joint minds, the latter
under single responsibility. and final
" the President himself should be re-
lieved of much Of his present vast
amount Of direct administrative labor.
The President realizes that on the
executive side of the Federal Govern
ment there are now more than 200
different bureaus. boards and commits
sions with a total Of $4,000 employees.
For the most part they have been
thrown hodgepodge into 10 depart
ments, under that many cabinet Off
GERS. But there are more than 40 in
dependent establishments of the Gov
ernment either directly under the
President or Congress. AS these 200
bureaus and agencies are now grouped
and organized there are two primary
streams of confusion and public
waste. The President has said SO
himself In advocating reorganization
legislation since he has been in the
White House. There Is a confusion
of basic principles; there is a grouping
of Federal bureaus which divides
responsibility, There consequently
arises a lack of definite national
policies, and direct wastes arise from
overlap and conflicts. Indirectly large