The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1937-01-28

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it rate making power straight in.
to the laps of the politicians.
Of course, the Presidential mes
sage on this point appears on it's
face to provide against the end that
I have mentioned but old timers in
congress point out how this wedge,
driven only little further, will
bring about political domination of
the ICC. y
1t is hardly necessary here to set
down all of the potential dangers
that can emanate
Potential from political con-
Dancers troll of such vast
structure as the
railroads of the United States. It
is unlimited in its possibilities. Dan
gers are inherent in any program
of that kind with which the politi.
clans are identified and it appear.
to be circumstance in which con
gress, if it is going to serve the
people properly, should call halt.
AS to the general accounting Of
fee 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.
am not making charge that
the present administration desires
to spend congressional appropria-
tons 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 decision that prevented use
of public money in manner de-
sired by the President. To sum up
this particular phase of the situ-
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 a link is established where
by the White House again will con-
troll determination of legality and
Illegally of expenditures.
Congress created the general ac-
counting office in order that it would
have an agency independent of the
Chief Executive and the executive
departments to keep tab on how
those executive agencies expend-
ed the money which congress APP
propriated. That was the reason
why the office of comptroller gen.
eral was made to carry 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 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 knoWl-
edge, I 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.
There seems to be more support
for inclusion of the civil service
commission in the
CiUll form of civil
Seryice service admins
-'.. traitor under an
executive department than there is
support for breaking up of the fed
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