Evening star., 1929-12-10
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
/. C. N.

THE OTHER SIDE OF GOVERN
MENT. David Lawrence. Charles
Scribner's Sons.
To q majority, knowledge Of the Gov
ernment is scanty, vague, inmaterial.
AS a name the Government is known,
somewhat dimly, to be the concrete ex-
preston Of the Constitution itself And,
to be sure, everybody knows the Con-
stitution, much as he knows the Lords
prayer. In early school days it was
conned, often to complete verbal per-
fection and almost as often to an
equally sweeping lack of Ineligible
ideas concerning 1t. Then, in later
years when political campaigns rolled
around, the air resounded with elo-
quence over this charter of our liber-
ties" this "bulwark Of a free Govern
ment." Yet, nevertheless, to millions
Of men and women the Government as
embodied projection Of the Constitu-
ton into the common life is but dtrnly
defined either in It's broad scope or in
the ways and means by which it be-
comes effective in laws and In their adj
ministration.
Year by year the Congress convenes.
Its activities become news material for
the daily press. It Is here that readers
get such schooling as they possess in
the practical workings Of the Govern
ment. They read Of the meeting of the
Congress, of the making Of new laws, of
political parties ranged on this side and
on that, almost as keen to be on the
right side of the fence as on the right
side of the measures in hand, or so 1t
seems to the mere reader. They read of
committees and blocs and lobbieS and
Of strange amorphous animal with
out head or tail, called "fllibuSter," that
mills round and round with no obvious
business save that of blocking the wheels
Of the legislative machinery. They read
of Investigations many and long, where
in the accuserS-usually Of the minority
promptly become palladium of po-
litical righteousness for the inquisitorial
pursuit of some malefactor of the ma
jority. Sometimes both parties unite to
run down an overactive executive. A
most hospitable body, too, the Congress,
inviting and welcoming thousands of
measures-then enacting scant hand
| ful Of these into law. Time for adjourn
ment. Time to go back home, ito TX up
their fences" so the papers say. Farm
ers, all these Congressman, one would
take it from this.
Impossible for the average reader to
keep track Of the various lines Of legis-
lative endeavor or to count, even, the
multitudinous plans and projects that
this body tnaugurates for the common
| veal. Were it not for outside help, SIM
plif1catton and Interpretation. the case
would be a hopeless one for the readers
Of Government news.
~ \
Here 1t is-the book to meet our COM
mon dilemma. The first count for
THE Other Side of Government" Is
that 1t is simple. The next one Is that
it is practical, faces the general need.
Mr.. Lawrence holds to basic lines, lays
these straight and free from side en-
tanglements, explains them simply.
These pertinent main lines of Govern
ment activity are then brought to-
gether in co-ordinated whole, show
ing their relations, much as a road
map points out to the tourist not only
the road along which he is motoring,
but the neighborhood highways as well,
for him to choose from or to reject.
Topical in treatment, the book is,
nevertheless, a broad unit of Govern
ment outlook and activity. The man
ner of the author accords with his at
titude before the subject. Easy and
conversational in his word handling, he
provides deeply interesting human stuff
of general application in such themes
as Where Our Money Goes" Studying
the Tides of Business" Elimination of
Waste" Food Inspection" Full CAL
lons," Uncle Sam as Buyer" "Se-
lective immigration" and a dozen more
equally vital points of interest wherein
the public and the Government come
together. What Is the meaning, the
philosophy, the underground of the
enormous combinations now going on
in erect contrast to the trust dangers
Of a few years ago, giving rise to the
political trust buster? How has It
come about that that bogey Of yester-
day, that menace to the Republic
itself, has become an inevitable of this
expanding day-indeed, a benetactor
and a promise for the general good?
From the point of legislation and from
the point Of interesting drama as Wen
Mr.. Lawrence discusses our system OF
munication-railway motor ROAD,
air transport, ocean hlgnWays. river oe-
yelopment and control, radio ana !tS
necessary regulation. The place OF the
United States in the world as whole
and its clear obligation In this role
come In for the same broad, practical,
nIIhlic-snirtted consideration as every
other item In this discussion so clearly
does. . :. us. %
a big bulk Of useful substance, SO
simply and so interestingly proJec'e99 20
as 10 make Of 1t about equal partS OF
deflnite authentic information on the
one hand and interest OF the engrosSlng
kind on the other.
y y II \
By way Of radio, through nus own
unique newspaper puhllsheo mere IL
washington and by way OF his news
,oaner correspondence, just about every,
body knows David Lawrence, ponIlcaI
Journalist. Dealing with the contenuons
Of the greatest legislative BODY on earIn'
Mr.. Lawrence is himself never conIen-
tious. Facing daily heated olneIenceS
of opinion, even deep-seated parIlsan-
chin Mr.. Lawrence IS in his WRITINGS
invariably dispassionate, cool, unbiased
Two sides of every question are the
least with which he Is willing to deal
Even his speaking voice partakes OF this
cnoI outlook. Maybe a shade colorless'
oerhaps devoid Of oratorical genufiec-
fions of speech, he has come, nevertne-
less to that truly convincing power that
rises from a straight-standing ATTITUDE
in respect to the Government actiVlueS
in which he is so deeply grounded. Not
a single gesture fronted upon tne oeSHe
for popularity Of reception. Instead,
man, grounded in knowledge that is
vital, striving to deliver 1t to the pub
lie in a vital way. The return for this
is wide and complete confidence IN the
offerings of David Lawrence, recog-,
nized publicist in matters Of Govern
ment that engage the Capital.
X X X
Let US hear David Lawrence talk
minute: Twenty years of experience
at the National Capital has convinced
me that Republican and Democrauc
administrations are much the same un-
der the skin-that they both strive 70
develop a formula which will in their
Judgment promote the progress ana
prosperity of the Nation" Mem
hers of Congress are for the most part