Evening star., 1934-07-29
By WILLIAM HARD.


his great, grand night against some
sorts Of bureaucracy without show
ing that he appreciates the value OF
certain other sorts Of it This is so
fundamental n question in oIlr con-
temporary American national life that
I do not apologize for trying 10 bring
II down out of the clouds to brass
tacks
Here's a very little brass tack with
O sharp point on IT,
A friend OF mine in the Allegheny
Mountains was visited in the yard
about his place by several billions OF
ants. He endeavored to persuade
them to leave. He failed He sought
advice. Now who turned out TO be
able 10 give him the best advice?
IL wasn't the hardy mountaineers
about him who have been living with
ants ell their lives. 1t wasn't those
he-men and sovereign independent.
inventive citizens all full OF private
initiative and OF those high qualities
of personal decision which have made
this country great. MOI 1t was a
couple Of bookish hureaucrats in the
Bureau OF Biological Survey In the
Department OF Agriculture They
knew better than any mountaineer
just how to make an ant feet that
IL was unwelcome
pondered on this quite a while
till the explanation occurred to me.
The rn0untaineer has lot to do be-
sides thinking about ants. He has
to think about locust trees. He has
to thiflk about springs and brooks
and pumps He has to think about
radishes In the garden patches. He
has 10 know a little OF each Of
great many things. But the student
OF ants in the Biological Survey
starts in with the ants Of ancient
Egypt and ends up with the ants in
the airplane fields OF Long Island and
takes In all the ants in between and
becomes really an "ant man" And
what agency is more suitable for
keeping him at the task than the
Governments
Servants OF the People.
Such considerations have made me
see some of our Washingtonian bu-
reaucrats in a new light. In very
large numbers indeed they are simply
specialized servants OF us private citi-
zens in fields In which We absolutely
can never hope to be specialists our
selves. And the political fact is-and
Senator Borah should note 1t carefully
that mos American private citizens
are scutely aware of the value of GER
tain even quite extreme bureaucratic
artiritfes when these activities serve
their daily needs.
It will again illustrate my point Of
the Bureau of Biological Survey. This
bureau in one phase of its work rep
reserts a most remarkable invasion"
II one chooses to call 1t so, of former
private duty and opportunity. 1t
slays wild animals. 1t maintains
Federal hunters" These gentlemen,
several hundred of them, with bu-
reaucratic traps and poisons and dogs
and guns. 60 out into the wild West,
where our he-est he-men live, and
kill predatory beasts for them. Yes!
The descendants of Davy Crockett and
Daniel Boone and Rogers and Clark
have their four footed wilderness ene-
mics chased for them by salaried en-
ployes Of the central Government at
Washington. Last year these salaried
employees, on behalf of our outstanding
population west of the Mississippi
River, did away with $1,000 coyotes,
$500 bobcats, 1900 wolves and $50
mountain lions
They also conducted In that same
fiscal year some 500 energetic cam
paigns against rats on behalf of our
down-sitting population in II States
east of the Mississippi River. They
- kr-- saSy-
tremely active in combating the dep
relations of jackrabbits, prairie dogs,
ground squirrels. porcupines, pocket
gophers and the like
Could anything be more mon
strous? That was the thought. ap-
parently, year ago, of our thrifty
and anti-bureaucratic director of the
budget. Lew Douglas. Let citizens
kill their own varmits, said he to him
self So he proceeded. in his budget
estimates of Federal expenditures for
the prospective fiscal year. to cut
down the animal-killing appropri-
alton of the Bureau of Biological Sur
vey from approximately 100000 to
approximately 500 ,00o And what
happened? Was he applauded by the
anti bureaucratic Congress? He was
not.
Gets Neck Sat Upon.
A couple of score of Congressman
from his own manly Western re-
gions of the United States rushed to
his Office and sat on his official neck
with their whole weight and with the
whole weight of their constituents.
Among them was his successor in the
Federal House of Representatives,
Mrs. Isabella Greenway.
They explained that their conStitu-
ents. under the stress of modern de-
veiopments. had ceased TO be profess
sional hunters and had become cat
tlemen and sheepmen and poultry
men and orchardiStS and whatnot.
They explained that their constituents
were now engaged in business pur-
suits. The wild animals, entering cat
tie and sheep ranges and entering
yards and groves, were interfering
with those pursuits. Who so quail
fed as the Government to conduct
cooperative campaigns" involving
Federal funds and State funds and
county funds and funds from private
associations and private individuals
to stop the interference and to pro-
mote the safe success OF private en-
terprise?
So they argued. And they won
Mr.. Douglas gave in. He transmitted
supplemental estimates to the Con-
greSs: and in the Department Of Agri-
culture appropriation bill. as finally
passed. the money for the killing Of
Wild animals by the Bureau of Bio
logical Survey is as big for this fiscal
year as it was for the last one
] have seen so many incidents. af-
fecting so many different bureaus. in
the course of my experience as a
Washington reporter that know very
well that whenever any political party
promises to make any important re-
duction in the total number of our
Federal bureaucrsts it is promising
something which the voters them
selves will not let IL do.
Each voter may want some other
ynterAg ElreaacratS cut of but he