Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-30
u. s. BUREAUS HELD
TO DEFY ATTACKS
Representative Wood Re-
peating Vain Plea for
Change, Says Writer.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Announcement by Representativ,
VIII r. Wood of Indiana, chairman
OF the Republican congressional cam
paign committee, of his intention tt
lead a movement for the abolition o.
independent commissions and estab
liShments so that they would be en-
tirely under the control of the Chic
Executive is in line with previous eff
forts to get rid of the Federal Trade
Commission and similar institution!
that have been bi-partisan-efforts
that have not had the slightest chance
of success.
There are several things on which
Congress has tenaciouSly insisted--tht
disposal of public property, such as
the Government fleet: control of tariff
rates and inquiries and the right to
inquire into corporate management
through an agency which is thorough
~ Independent of the Department OF
Justice
Theoretically there is no reason
why the Federal Trade Commission
should not be bureau under the di
rect control of the Attorney General,
as, in effect, proposed by Representa-
tive Wood. But the Federal Trade
Commission was created because OF
the very condition which, it is Mr.
w
political influence. In practically every
administration. Democratic as we'll as
Republican, the President has eXer
cised such a control over his Attorney
General as to make it possible to press
some suits and abandon others. Opin
ions on ambiguous questions have us
ually been rendeed in the direction
desired by the Chief Executive.
Influence On Inquiries.
Congess has not felt that it could
rely on the inquiries conducted by the
Department of Justice because if a
Republican administration were In
power Republican politics would in
fluence an aggressive or Indifferent
inquiry as the case might be. Similar
ly, when the Democrats have had con-
troll of the Department OF justice,
Republican Congress has not felt that
exhaustive inquiries would be made
on subjects in which it was Interested.
The result of this situation has been
the creation of bipartisan commits
sions directly responsible to Congress.
While it is true that the Chief EXecu-
tive by use of the power of appoint
ment can control the various indie
pendent commissions, it is also true
that Congress may refuse to confirm
with the Chief EXecu-
tive relative to any policy to be pur-
sued.
Although there have. been frequent
DELAYS due to dissension of members
of the commissions, this is a compare
lively recent occurrence and was not
characteristic of the operations or
the boards and commissions when
they were first created. The real
is that the positions do not
pay big enough salaries to attract
men of capacity and judgment and
that the personnel has been largely
given over to office-seeking politicians.
Hard to Get Able Men.
Practically every President has had
getting able men who have
themselves in business
or, the professions to come to Wash
ington to fill the various commissions
and boards. In the few cases where
able men have come here their con-
structive work has been blocked by
the necessity of cooperating with
men of lesser ability whose judgments
are beclouded by political conSidera-
tons.
Mr.. Woods plans are based upon
situation in the various commissions
and the control by a single cabinet
officer of the work being done by
the independent commission, there
would be a vast improvement in the
latter method. DISTINGUISHED OBJ
servers are inclined to agree with Mr..
Wood that there would be more eff
ficiency under the cabinet officer
than is possible with the present per-
sonnet. But the alternative, namely,
better men to fill vacancies and more
freedom of action, as contemplated
by the original statutes creating the
is yet to be demonstrated
as impossible to attain.
Congress is not in the mood to
surrender it's power over shipping or
management or the tariff
to the complete control Of the Ex
ecutive, and, If anything. the discus
sion is going to turn more toward
Of the Chief Executive
than has been the case in recent
years.
Copyright 1920