Imperial Valley press., 1937-02-09
News Behind the News
Too Much for Nickel Hopping
on One Foot Executive White
House Assistants ).

WESTINGHOUSE people always have
been known to expect quite lot for a mcKei'
and 1t is perhaps just coincidence that some
of those who crab most necessarily at perfor-
manceS of the government are always happy
when they can help see to it that this or that
federal branch is forced to go hopping along
one leg.
one of the items in the presidents reorganiz-
atom program which is stirring up the most OPP
position in congress calls for hiring OF a nail
dozen capable executive assistants at the Wmte
House to help the president administer his man an
killing job This might cost O0Oo or Sioooo
year.
Right now in Washington, there is per-
ceptible temporary breakdown in leadership.
Those close enough To the creaking machinery
to analyze what's happening insist that TINS
is due primarily to the inefficency OF one
man system of government, in Which the one
man" has at his side no able aides to serve as
conduits for incoming information and out
going exercise of executive power
On at least couple of occasions, Roosevelt
was up nearly all night handling or inqulring
into flood problems. He has had to keep con-
stantly in touch with developments in the Cen
eral Motors strike
Either of those two jobs would be enough for
a man in whom ultimate power resided. RooSe-
velt however, also is trying to supervise pro-
motion of a new and far-reaching program for
minimum wages and maximum hours, mulnng
over possible plans for constitutional amend
ment or other method of curbing the supreme
ton program, while wondering how to get con-
gressional approval for that programs frame
work.
At the same time, he is graphing with neu-
trality legislation and the intricate financial
and other aspects of foreign affairs, doping out
the budget and relief expenditures, and attend
ing to thousand other details with which
he cannot now avoid contact while running the
biggest business in the world.
1t isn't hard to sympathize with the preSl-
dent when he says. as he said recently:
Il just don't get time TO think
The well-organized capacity Of members OF
Congress to sympathize with themselves may
make it easier to put the whole New Deal under
civil service than is commonly expected
Congressman will always be avid for patron
age as long as there IS patronage to be had, out
officials of long experience in dealing with them
about jobs say the chief thing the average con-
gresham fears is that some other congressman
will get more gravy than he.
Most of the sounder, more useful members
are tired Of serving as personal employment
agencies. They do it because anyone VINO tries
to attend to business TO the neglect OF patron
age is almost sure to get licked That mas oeen
especially true of Democratic congressman IN
the last four years.
General civil service would mean consider
able saving for the taxpayers, who now sup
port thousands of useless political Jon-nolderS
But many congressman are especially concern
ed about their own pocketbooks. 1t costs money,
they explain, to stake job-seekers to money lot
board and room in Washington while they walt
around hopefully for job.