Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1936-10-01
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General Cummings. The Attorney
General made some public threats
that he would seek to indict those
who were responsible for distribu-
ton of this information, claiming
that federal law had been violat-
ed. Being attorney general of the
United States, any statement from
him got wide distribution.
But the Republicans, recognizing
the potentialities of this situation,
issued a challenge to Mr.. Cum
mings to proceed with his threat of
indictments. Their publicity state
ment on the point was just as viru-
lent as that of any red-blooded
American boy who says to his play
mate, II dare you tol''
Well, the rejoinder of the Repub-
hcans rather put Mr.. Cummings on
the spot.
I presume probably the threat
and the resulting challenge still
would have amounted to nothing
except that the method employed
by the Republicans capitalized on
that threat by accusing the attor-
ney general Of seeking to prevent
free speech and to prohibit discus
sion of campaign issues. If there
is one thing that the American peo-
pie resent, it is any attempt by a
governmental agency of whatever
character it may be that seeks to
stifie discussion. They look upon
it as sign of dictatorship. Some
where in their veins still courses the
virus that overthrow King George
in the birth of this nation.
That is why the Cummings threat
is so important.
President Roosevelt announced
the other day that he is preparing
- to start reorgani-
Too Many cation of the fed
Agencies eral administra-
tive agencies. He
said he had arrived at the conclu-
sion that such course was neces-
sary because there has been over
tapping in function and jurisdiction
among the many agencies created
by the New Deal. It is the second
time that the President has pro-
posed reorganization of the govern
mental units and his new announce
ment promises to attract as much
attention as did his original an
nouncement which was made when
he was candidate during the 1882
presidential campaign.
For long time, it has been plain
ly evident to observers in Washing
ton that New Deal agencies were
literally falling over one another
and that many of them were con-
stantly in conflict with others be-
cause the laws or executive orders,
chiefly the executive orders, by
which these agencies were created,
did not clarity their jurisdiction or
their function.
A good deal of this trouble OBJ
viously had its origin in the haste
that characterized the early efforts
of the Roosevelt administration to
establish machinery by which prob
lens Of the depression could be
solved or alleviated. 1t always hap
pens that when governmental agen-
cies are created in such haste, ri
diculous situations result. 1t was
the case during the World war and
it has been the case during the New
Deals efforts to solve depression
problems under the emergency pow
ers granted by congress. The truth
seems to be that there is more over
tapping, more conflict, now than
there was during the World war.
have known of numerous in
stances where one agency, under
:. authority given it
Much by the President,
Confusion has promulgated
rules and regula-
tions having the force of law that
did not conform to rules and regu-
lations dealing with the same mat
tiers but coming from another unit
of government. In addition, / have
seen different interpretations placed
on the same statute or the same
regulation by two different agencies.
In consequence, the citizen whose
business practices or personal af-
fairs were touched by government
edict found himself prohibited from
doing particular thing on the one
hand and ordered to do it on the
other.
Thus, it would seem that it is high
time for something to be done about
reorganization. 1t would seem
equally to be high time for elimina-
ton of some of the extra red tape
of government which has been
wound about the private lives of
American citizens by the New Deal.
Goodness knows, there was plenty of
red tape before the New Deal lit
certainly is worse now than it was
before.
The thing that seemed to interest
most of the writing fraternity in
Washington, however, was not so
much the alienation of the condi-
tons which I have mentioned, but
the political aspects of the presi-
Dental announcement that new re-
organization plans were under con-
sideration. Some of these writer's