Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-12
Efficiency Is New WatchwOrd
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

Efficiency is likely to take the place
| word under the Hoover administration.
Not that the new President has aban-
doned economy but that he is such a
| rapid reorganizer for purposes of eff
cheney that slow-going Washington can
hardly keep up with him. His three pri-
vate secretaries in place of the tradi-
tional one, the telephone which he or
| dered placed on his desk, despite the
| fact that Presidents never have had
| phones on their desks; his night shift
of the White House stenographic force.
! his rebuilding of the Executive Office
Building so that the old basement could
be made into modern Offices for the add
| ed force ne uses, all are signs of the
| times
These are small evidences Of the per-
sonal habits Of Mr.. Hoover, the prac-
! tees of business executive, as they
differ from the daily working habits
OF lawyer. newspaper man or a col
lege president. They indicate genuine
change in the traditions of the presi-
Dental office, a purpose to drive the
| executive business of the Government
exactly as If it were q business enter
prise which had to be constantly shaken
up, cleared of dead wood, made to work
fast and turn in profits. Mr.. Hoover
is the first of the modern business ex-
ecutive type of man to occupy the
White House. He is changing the GUS
toms Of his office to comport with his
lifelong way Of doing business.
More important than the way the
new President does things are the
things he does. Just as he has modern
lied business practice around his Offices,
he is undermining such a thoroughly
different thing. as political patronage.
| which is one OF the heavy burdens i'm
posed on tie Chief Executive The
President is required to appoint to Office
all or the poStmaSters, district attor-
neys, marshals, revenue collectors, pro-
htbition directors and other important
officials of the Federal Government. He
must sign the commissions, year after
year, of thousands of men who hold
the reins Of Government activity. Most
Of these men he has never seen, and
very few of them does he personally
know well enough to Judge their quail
f1cations for their jobs.
It has been said by past Presidents
that more than half of their time has
been occupied meeting candidates for
offices and their friends and support
ers, and deciding upon appointments.
The Constitution places this job on one
man, the President Of the United States.
Mr.. Hoover apparently does not pro-
pose to spend more time at it than is
necessary.
His first step has been to blow aside
any traditional theory that the Presi-
dent really knows whom he appoints,
except to the more important posts, or
knows them well enough to sift the
merits personally of Candidates Smith,
Jones and Brown. Obviously he cannot
know them, and must take somebody's
judgment Mr.. Hoover promptly an
nounced that when he made appoint
mentS based on the Judgment of some
body besides himself he would plainly
state on whose judgment he was acting.
Names Sponsors for Applicants.
Thus in appointments where the rec
concentrations of cabinet officers do not
control the choice. and where the rec
concentrations of Senators, Representa-
tives, members of the Republican ma
tional committee, State chairmen Of
the party or somebody else are the basis
for appointment, the President says so.
He tells the Senate so when he sends
the names up for confirmation. All
secrecy and mystery disappears. The
President is accepting the Judgment Of
so and so.
This saves a great deal Of time ana
trouble and displaceS a good deal OF
mystery and hocum which once sur
rounded appointments. 1t also adds
to individual and party responsibility
for the men named. The habit of
carelessly writing letters of recon-
mendation for any acquaintance who
wanted them will become less popular.