Evening star., 1933-02-08
The Reorganization Amendment.

At last President of the United
States has been given wide powers of
governmental reorganization-at least
so far as the action of one House of
Congress is concerned. 1t must be
confirmed by the other House. The
Senate has listened to the advice of
President Hoover, who strongly urged
that such step be taken in the
interest of governmental economy and
efficiency, particularly in view of the
meager authority granted him last ses-
sion and the strings tied to it. 1t re-
mains for the President-elect to put the
reorganization into effect within the
next two years-the limit of time which
this extraordinary grant of authority
runs.
The grant of power goes to the ex-
tent Of transfer, consolidation and
abolition of governmental agencies in the
search for efficiency and economy, ex-
cept that the ten executive departments
set up by Congress may not be abolished.
Independent agencies, however, such as
the Interstate Commerce Commission,
the Federal Farm Board, the Federal
Trade Commission and the General
Accounting Office could be merged into
one OF the executive departments or
could be abolished. Never before has
the Congress seriously proposed to dele
gate such powers to Chief Executive.
Even nov the proposal must still run
the gantlet of approval Of the House,
for that body has not yet passed upon
the amendment to the Treasury and
Post Oflce appropriation bill which was
adopted last night by the Senate just
before the passage Of that measure. The
bill goes now to conference between the
two houses. The expectation is that
the House will agree to the Senate
amendment dealing with reorganization
of the Government.
The Senate in effect has thrown up
its hands and admitted that reorgani-
zation of the Government, with drastic
cuts and consultations, may not be ex-
pected from the Congress. 1t proposes
now to hand this job over to the Presi-
dent-elect, who, it has been declared
by his supporters, stands ready to exer-
else the power If it be granted to him.
Only by a two-thirds vote of both
houses of Congress could the orders of
the President for abolition or consoli-
dation of Government agencies be We
toed. For while the amendment adopt
ed by the Senate specifies that the
executive orders resulting from this
grant of authority shall not become ef-
fective until the close of a period of
sixty days after they shall have been
transmitted to the Congress by the
President, the situation is such that
these orders cannot be overridden by
Congress except by the passage Of a
new law, taking away the authority
granted the President. A majority Of
the two houses might pass such a re-
peal act, but it would require the sigma
LulC VI lllC IlCoi0CAiV AhiAAoSAA w bS-
come law. A presidential veto, unless
the Congress defeated it by a two
thirds vote, would kill any effort to
forestall the Presidents order for the
abolition or consolidation of Govern
ment agencies.
If the authority now proposed is
granted to President-elect Roosevelt a
huge Job confronts the new administra-
ton. There will be the human side.
An order to abolish bureau or to con-
solidate bureaus may result in throwing
out of employment men and women
who have worked faithfully for the
Government the greater part OF their
adult lives, with the understanding, too,
that in their old age they would have
at least the civil service retirement
fund to live upon. There will be the
political side, with many interests, for
example, demanding the abolition or
transfer Of the Federal TRADE Commits
sion: with many members of Congress
seeking to save this or that bureau be-
cause of influential friends. The Presi-
dent-elect may have to summon the
best minds of the country to aid in
the preparation Of a reorganization
plan.