Evening star., 1943-07-01

the court of INV
public opinion. David Lawrence.
That reason has to do with a
central defect in government where
the vanity or personal power motive
seems to have introduced evils far
more damaging than any which
arise under the so-called profit and
loss system in private enterprise.
The clamor for jurisdiction, for
authority, for power to handle
weighty matters seems to intensity
as the Government increases its
multifarious agencies and bureaus
The word ''bureaucrat' is not prop
erly used with respect merely to all
bureau officials. 1t concerns more
the official who feels that he has a
vested interest in his job-the Off
cial who makes rules in arbitrary
fashion and forgets that he is the
servant of the people.
But it would be a mistake to try
to suppress these differences of
opinions and disputes that flare up
once in while. The notion that
men In high position can have their
minds regimented and that all of
them will run to a superior some
where in the White House Offices
and everything will be fine there
after is a mistaken one. These con-
troversies have a way of shoulder
ing for weeks and weeks.
Capital Knew of Dispute.
All Washington has known of the
dispute between the Board of Eco
nomic Warfare and the Reconstruc-
ton Finance Corporation-even
back to the days when the board
didn't feel that it could get its hands
on the purse strings for purchases
and that to do a job it must have
authority to spend money irrespec-
tive of the RFC.
Jesses Jones, head of the RFC,
Is an official of long experience. He
has served here since 1881. He has
handled immense funds for the
Government. Nobody ever served a
trust fund with more fidelity than
Mr.. Jones does a Government fund.
But he is criticized for not opening
up the purse strings to this or that
agency. He is oftentimes cautious
and perhaps super-cautious-Whlch
seems to be crime in this era OF
waste and extravaganza.
1t is sometimes eXasperatlng IN
private business to wait for the
crossing of a 1t" or the dottlng OF
an Il" and it is sometimes irritating
to wait when some one wants things
in writing instead of their being
handled in some informal way over
the telephone. But in the end the
businesslike and orderly way usual
ly proves the safest way.
Loyal Friend of Roosevelt.
Mr.. Jones has been blamed at
times for many things that he did
on the orders of the President or
with the Presidents full knowledge.
He is a loyal friend of Mr.. Roose-
welt and has at times helped on
Capitol Hill to get legislation passed
that the President wanted. Mr..
Jones has a powerful following in
Congress.
The controversy between the Vice
President and Mr.. Jones does not
deserve the airing that it got, though
this will do no harm. Discussion is
not a defect in free government. The
row could have been stopped long
ago if the President had cared to
tell his subordinates just what each
must do.
Maybe Mr.. Roosevelt feels he has
enough of a task without trying
to knock temperamental heads to-
gether. But in this case there is
something besides temperament-it
Is a clash between radicals of the
New Deal type and a conservative
like Jesse Jones. For months the
New Dealers have been sniping away
at Mr.. Jones, hoping to dislodge
him, but the President evidently
continues to believe in Mr.. Jones
and his ability to handle the big job
entrusted to him.
Pride Not Important.
One cannot help but feel that con-
troversies would be less numerous
If the underlings and the subordi-
mates in the various agencies didn't
mobilize their forces in developing
some of the rows that occur. But
as long as the President maintains
left-wingers and right -wingers in
various bureaus and doesn't him.
self squelch the outcroppings of
theological difference, the contro-
versies will go on.
It is most unfortunate that some
influence of conciliatory sort can
not be brought to bear on official
Washington these days. Maybe it
can be discovered that pride and ego
aren't so important after all. Maybe
an admission of error would be
salutary here and there And, above
all, maybe there would be a spirit
of unity if men submerged the am
billions that rise within them and
tried to serve not themselves but
the public interest irrespective of
the consequences to their political
fortunes.
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