The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-01-28

IS unllInlteQ In ltS possibilities. Dan
gers are inherent in any program
of that kind with which the politi-
clans are identified and it appears
to be circumstance in which con-
gress, if it is going to serve the
people properly, should call a halt.
AS to the general accounting Of
flee and the plan to include it in
the Treasury again under the rule
OF an auditor general, the reorgani-
cation scheme simply will set con-
troll of public expenditures back a
quarter of century. One of the
earlier Presidents made no effort
to conceal the use that could be
made of the auditing unit of the gov
eminent when he said, on an occa-
sion where the chief auditor ruled
an expenditure illegal, that if it
were not possible to change the
ruling under the law, it still was
possible to change the chief auditor.
I am not making charge that
the present administration desires
to spend congressional appropria-
tions Illegally; but one cannot dodge
the conversations that are taking
place around the Capitol in which
legislators recall how President
Roosevelt criticized John r. Nc Carl
when he was comptroller general
for a decision that prevented use
of public money in manner de-
sired by the President. To sum up
this particular phase of the stu
alton, one hardly need to say more
than that if the auditor general
is a subordinate of the Secretary
of the Treasury, he is likely to take
orders from the Secretary of the
Treasury, whoever that Secretary
may be. And, since the Secretary
of the Treasury is an appointee of
the President and serves only at
the Presidents pleasure, in my
mind link is established where
by the White House again will con-
troll determination of legality and
illegality of expenditures.
Congress created the general &C.
counting office in order that it would
have an agency independent of the
Chief Executive and the executive
departments to keep tab or how
those executive agencies expend-
ed the money which congress APP
propriated. That was the reason
why the office of comptroller gener-
al was made to carry a fifteen
year appointment with removal only
for malfeaSance or misfeasance.
Now it is proposed to tear down
that structure and bring the whole
auditing organization under a cab
met officer.
But there is another phase to be
considered. 1t has been my good
fortune to be in Washington dur
ing the entire life of the general
accounting office as well as for sew
eral years before. Of my own knowl-
edge, can say that the general
accounting office has recovered mil
lions of dollars of illegally disbursed
funds as well as prevented illegal
disbursement of other millions. It
is a plain case, then, in which
sound and honest administration
has resulted because in cases where
temptation for illegal use of pub
lie money has existed, administra-
tive officials have resisted the temp
tation since, like the potential
chicken thief in the country, they
know that the sheriff or the con-
stable or the state police are watch
ing.
There seems to be more support
for inclusion of the civil service
:, commission in the
Saoii form of a civil
Service service admins
traitor under an
executive department than there is
support for breaking up of the fed
eral trade commission as the Presi-
dent proposed. Neither of these
agencies has such an important
bearing on the public as a whole
as do the other two I have dis
cussed. The plan to make the civil
service administrator subject to
cabinet control was softened con-
siderably by the President by inclu-
sion of proposal to make all gov
eminent employees below policy
making grades subject to civil serv-
ice laws. That is a big step for
ward, provided it is not a ruse to
permit packing the lists with adj
herents of one political party or the
other, whichever may be in power.
The federal trade commission,
like the interstate commerce COM
mission, is quasi-judicial body.
There has been objection to it's pres
ent setup as prosecutor, judge and
jury but many legislators believe
this can be corrected without emas-
culating the agency and destroy
ing its identity by putting it into
an executive department. 1t ought
to be free and independent and
ought not to have any politician
in a cabinet chair telling it what to
do when it seeks to make business
be honest.
So, it is with the courts of the
country. 1t is my conviction that
the federal courts have been the one
bulwark in the preservation of our
democracy at times when waves of
public sentiment have surged for
ward in channels that were doomed
to bring about destruction of all that
is good in the republican form of
government. To suggest, even, that
the third branch of the government
should Cooperate" is only a step
from the proposal to make such
quasi-judicial agencies as the inter-
state commerce commission and
the federal trade commission SUBJ
ject to party platforms and political
chicanery.
g Western Newspaper Union.