The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1936-01-02

SPendIng the dozens of
Must Stop New Deal emer-
gency agencies. 1t
is a discussion that is timely be-
cause, first, Mr.. Roosevelt in his
plans for the forthcoming govern
ment budget contemplates a shrink
age in the vast OUTLAWS represented
in the emergency agencies, and sec
Ond, it is matter Of political i'm
port. Whether Mr.. Roosevelt is re-
elected, or whether there should be
a Republican succeed him in the
White House in January, 1887,
somebody must clean up the wreck
age of the alphabetical soup-which
is what all of these various agencies
eventually must become. They can
not go on; an end must be had to
the expenditures and that will con-
clude the operations of these agen-
cies and, further, something in the
way of permanency for agencies
that may be kept must be worked
out.
It is one of the real problems of
government. Those who have been
in Washington any length of time
recognize that it is much easier to
establish a government bureau and
populate it with bureaucrats Of a
political hue than it is to put an
end to the agency and send the po-
litical patronage boys back home.
1t is really an old story to observ-
ers here and, believe, all Of them
recognize how difficult If not dam
gerous it is going to be to dynamite
the alphabetical agencies out Of ex-
istence.
Some Of them undoubtedly have
served and are serving useful pur-
pose. Undoubtedly, some of them
were needed long before Mr.. Roose-
welt brought his New Deal to Wash
ington. Instead of that fact making
the wrecking job easier, 1t makes
the job more difficult. 1t is very
their job is a temporary one. even
though they were so informed when
they were appointed. 1t is more diff
cult to convince that type Of in
divfdual that their agency is not
all-important or that it is of less
consequence than a neighboring
agency bearing another set Of alpha
betical letters. H. .
In addition, the plum pickers have
their patronage hackers at the capt.
tai. The representatives and sena-
tors interested in building up their
own political machines back home
naturally put people in the political
jobs who will be most helpful In
assisting that particular representa-
tive or senator to be reelected.
Thus, it becomes rather obvious
that even if Mr.. Roosevelt seriously
tries to liquidate the various alpha
betical bureaus, boards, commits
sions and administrations, he has a
man-sized task on his hands. If by
chance a Republican should be
elected and Mr.. Roosevelt retired
to private life, he, too, will find
himself criticized, cajoled and
threatened when he seeks to squeeze
the water out of this structure
known as government which was
expanded so much in Mr.. Roose-
velt's plans to meet the emergency.
Frankly, believe it will take the
full four years of the next Presf-
dents term to un-
Long, seat all of the ex-
Hard Task cess job holders
and eliminate
from the government all of the sur
plus alphabetical agencies. In the
very nature of things 1t cannot be
done more quickly. The answer lies
In the fact that these agencies en-
bark upon ambitious programs that
cannot be halted. The government
becomes committed to certain prop
ositions and, except in war time,
most of them must be executed. So,
how ever you examine the situation,
Uncle Sam is well hooked. @-r +
To illustrate how difficult is the
Job of getting rid of government
agency after it is once established,
one need not go further than the
late MIRA. Six or seven months have
elapsed since the Supreme court
unanimously clipped the wings of
the famed Blue Eagle. That de-
cision did the work Of wrecking
MIRA as completely as bombshell
can wreck a boat when a direct hit
is scored. But, whether you realize
it or not, we still have in Wash
ington an NRA organization of al
most $500 employees. 1t is true
that number is probably only about
one-fourth of the total number on
the NRA pay roll when General
breakdown" johnson was at the
helm and guiding the flight of the
Blue Eagle but it was assumed at
least that the Supreme court de-
cision made payments for the NRA
pay roll illegal at the same time.
However, it has happened that the
administration has found money
some place with which to pay this
regiment of employees who, as far
as most observers in Washington
can ascertain, have very little con-
structive work to do.
The organization has no official