Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1937-04-22

SILLY LduO offer a bill that
Doomed would repeal a
provision of law
prohibiting the employment OF both
man and wife by the government.
It has been in effect since the sum-
mer of 1888. The provision ought
to be and probably will be repealed
because, as far as I can see, there
Is actually no sense in the national
government refusing to employ eff
ficient workers because a mans
wife or a woman's husband al
ready is on the federal pay roll.
It was not the Importance Of this
particular repeal proposal, how
ever, that interested me. Senator
McKellar's action was significant
and interesting only because when
repeal of the so-called marriage
clause and federal law was pro-
posed, it marked the beginning of
the end of one of the most abortive
pieces of legislation that has been on
our statute books. / refer to the So
called economy act of 1888.
I cannot refrain from recalling a
prediction that I made when the
economy act was before congress in
1888. 1t was introduced and sup
ported by the New Deal legislature
in an effort to carry out cam
paign promise made when Presi-
dent Roosevelt was running for Of
fee in 1882. You will remember
that he promised to reduce the cost
of government twenty-five per cent,
saying in many speeches that the
cost of government was too high
and that reduction in taxes was
necessary. It will be recalled like
wise how he said that "Taxes come
from the sweat of every man who
labors."
Well, the economy act was driven
through, despite declaration from
many senators and many represen-
tatives that it was impossible to
mutilate the structure of govern
ment as proposed in that bill and
still have a government that would
function properly. And here were
some of the most ridiculous provi-
sions in that legislation to come be-
fore congress in many years: They
worked injustices on veterans Of the
World war, on farmers, on retired
government workers, on the army
and navy and marine corps, and
hamstrung and handicapped gov
eminent agencies in a manner I
had not seen in my long experience
as an observer Of national affairs.
It was on that occasion that I
made the prediction mentioned
above, and to which I call atten-
ton because of the Mcclellan pro-
posal for repeal of the marriage
clause. I wrote at that time my
definite conviction that the economy
law was silly; that it would work
hardships and that it's basis was
ninety per cent politics. I predict
ed further that within year the
politicians in the house and senate
who had shouted so loudly about
economy would begin to chisel va
rious provisions out of that law.
Each of those things has happened
and now we see the end.
The end of the law has come but
not the end of it's effects. Prac-
tees in federal government admin
istration that had been operating
satisfactorily n d efficiently
throughout the years were thrown
into the discard and new ideas sub
stituted. The discarded methods
were the development of experience
and were serving the purposes for
which they were intended. Some of
them have been restored and are
again functioning as they should but
one can wander around through the
maze of government corridors and
find attempts still being made to
make schemes work that are I'M
sound in practice, schemes from
the minds of theorists. It will be
number of years before the effects
of the economy act will be obliter-
ated.
AS the chiseling began and the
economy act fell to pieces under
Spending ther wa $
Orgy launch ed the
greatest spending
orgy any nation ever witnessed. 1t
has continued with undated pecu-
iarity and is still continuing not
withstanding the fact that within
the last few weeks we have heard
statements from administration
sources to the effect that admins
tration expenditures will be cut. The
fact is they have not been cut
But the average person outside of
Washington sees and hears only
things related to large totals of gov
eminent spending such as relief for
the destitute and vast programs of
public building. They do not hear
nor do they see what is going on
among agencies Of the government
that relate to comparatively small
items of money outgo. 1t is these
small items, when taken together,
that bulk so large even though by
comparison with relief the total ap-
pears insignificant.
am going to call attention to just
one item, a small item as govern
ment expenses 60, about which ]
suspect most persons who do me
the honor to read these articles