Evening star., 1934-03-25

Of the Brookings Institution has just
published this valuable book, No. 66
in its service monographs of the
United States Government. The
monographs in the series follow a
definite plan. They give the history of the
development of the service its functions its
organization, the character of its plant COM
pilation of the laws and regulations governing
its operations and financial statements of its
expenditures for period of years. The carry
ing out of this plan by trained research workers,
with the cooperation of an advisory council,
results in each case in an exhaustive and
authoritative reference work of ineStimable
value to legislators administrators and students.
The present study of "the largest single spend
ing agency in the Government" gives a mass
of information about Government organization
which has been the subject of acute discussion
and legislation ever since the World War. Like
the other monographs in the series, it is entirely
descriptive and does rot attempt to evaluate
legislation or to criticize defects in adminisra-
tion, though probably no individual OF group
could better perform both these services than
the Institute for Government Research.
The historical section, which occupies 270
pages, begins with Colonial veterans relief.
followed by Revolutionary War persions and
continues through whole history centering
on this specific subject, concluding with the
Presidents address of october 4, 1888; the
American Legion program and executive orders
covers pensions, medical and hospital care,
domicliary care guardianship, adjusted COM
penSation, burial expenses, insurance and sub
Sidiary subjects. The section organization
describes the work of the various offces-those
of the executive assistant, solicitor and assist
ant administrators in charge of medical and
domiciliary care, pensions and compensation,
and finance and insurance-and of the field
service and special review boards. The appendix
contains 80 parts, abstracts of laws and execu-
tive orders and statistical tables.
ELECTION ADMINISTRATION IN THE
UNITED STATES BY Joseph P Harris.
Phi. D. Washington: The Brookings Insti-
tuition.
THIS companion volume to the authors
! Registration of Voters in the United States
is No 81 Of the studies in administration of the
Institute for Government Research of the
Brookings Institution. The study prompted
by desire to improve the administration of
elections throughout the country. 1t is based
on large amount of field work, but the treat
ment of the material is analytical rather than
descriptive. The discussion covers the his
torical background of elections, model election
administration system, overhead organization,
rank and file workers, ballots, conduct of elec-
tions, voting machines, absent voting, election
frauds and election costs. The chapter on
model system contains DR.. Harris basis Of
criticism of existing conditions in many States
and municipalities. There are 48 specifications
for such system. and these are followed by
model election administration code of "a sec
tions. The key to the code is State board OF
elections which shall prepare and enforce elec-
tion rules in counties and municipalities as well
as in the State. 1t is probable that this
authoritative work will bring about election
reforms in many States.
THE STORY OF THE SFORzAS. BY L. Col
Ison Morley. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co.
THE Sforzas, one of the three great RenaiS-
sance families which shared the rule of
Italy before the French invasion, were not
always of the powerful nobility. Like the
Mayhower aristocracy of New England, they
came from humble origins In their native
village of Cotignola, north of Faenza, they were
farmer bandits in the fourteenth century, al
ways at feud with the rival family of the
Pasolini. Their real Attendolo;
Sforza was the nickname of The son of the
founder of the family, Muzio Attended, which
he handed down to his descendants. The
mother of Muzio, Elisa mother also of 20 other
children, was "a splendid specimen of the
virago, later idealized by Ariosto and Tasso.
who could on occasion fight as well as her
menfolk, and her descendant Caterina SforZa
was the most famous virago of the Renais-
sance.' BY way of the profession of arms, as
condottieri, the Sforzas grew in might and in
f1uence until they were ruling Dukes of Milan
rivalled in Italy only by the Medici in Flor
and the Borgias in Naples.
In reading this admirably told, we'll docu-
mented history of the Sforzas, wishes that
Mr.. Collison-Morley had followed the example
of some of the writer's of family novels and had
appended genealogical table to his work
From 1862 when Muzio SforZa born, to
1884, when the puppet duke, Francesca Sforza,
a gray-hared invalid of 38, married by