The Washington times., 1928-07-21
Drastic Federal Reorganization
If Smith Becomes President

HoULD Governor Smith elected President there vii PC
- drastic Reorganization Of Federal departments and bureaus
III this city We Useless overlapping and meffiCaen
bureaus and agencies Of the Government VII De aDoned
There win be more business IN and less
ment Ia business"
The quoted words are from Senator Tydng Maryland
after conferrng with smith and after telling the
Governor he will surely carry Maryland
IN this we are beginning to get some political bunk II
Is an oIdme Of trying to make the general public
believe that money being wasted in Government departments
and bureaus By party power that there nefficiency
and need for shake up q
The economy program President Coolidge included recr
ganizaon and wedding out the departments and bureaus
and the Republican party platform praises the Administration
for what is has accomplished in money saving.
President Coolidge aided BY the Budget Bureau and Con
prevented exavagances il appropriations and held
governmental disbursements down to comparatively low
figures The Of money saved ID getting rid Of few
poorIy paid civil service employees has been small however
Of departments and bureaus has been AZ
tempted for years. but there has been reorganization worth
talking about President Harding sought consolidate
tapping establishments thereby getting rid Of employees
but his program got nowhere.
The truth is that there overlapping dupca
ton 81 work. and that wellpad supervisory officials
could be spared through consolidation.
must Be remembered though that the President cannot
do this Of own accord Congress created the various
agencies Of The Government and Congress- alone has the power
TO abolish them
Whenever plans are submitted to Congress consolidation
wsLpaid officials who might lose their Jobs get busy with
their influences IN Congress and manage to stall off action
Usually the outcome Is the dismissal Of few undepad
workers IS evidence Of economy and retrenchent The
phsalaried officials are not tsuChed
It creditabe thought to put more business "a govern
ment and, some day, eliminate influence and
partisan politics. i Be accomplished + ought e Be
accomplished.
Changes 81 administration though Of the political
party mean that political friends Of the administrator
must be cared for n they already have good jobs they
must not be disturbed - they do have jobs way oil
getting wepayng positions for them must be found Ihe
higher ups in the Government service suffer reduC
tions or isrissas They keep ii close touch with their
pus IN Congress All economies practiced on the little
fellows without influence Of any kind They suffer reductions
III pay their jobs altogether despite civil service laws
and regulations.
Il Governor Smith should become President reOrganza
ton would good Democratic job hunters would
mean that Democrats holding little jobs il the Govern
ent service would get the big jobs of Republicans n
office and that many outside Democrats possible would
be cared for" notwithstanding civil service laws
Much Of this shifting Of personnel could be done by the
prevail Of Congress would under the heading Of
good Of the service but actual Reorganization including
consolidation Of bureaus doing overlapping work would re-
quire legislation Governor Smith, President would have
be supported by Democratic Congress- Senate and House
Republican Congress viii not give the Democrats the op
portunity Of Arsanzng in way TO fill many good posi-
tons with Democrats, displacing Republicans.