Evening star., 1946-02-27
Krug Appointment
louded by Writer
Similar Choices Would Enhance
Administration Prestige, He Adds
By David Laurence

In appointing ]. A. Krug to be Sec
retary Of the Interior, President Truman
has made one of the best possible selec-
tions. If Mr.. Truman will follow this
standard in making future appoint
ments, he will enhance materially the
prestige Of his administration.
For Gap" Krug, as he is known in
Washington, is one of the ablest public
of1cials the National Capital has ever
seen. Not only has he administrative
skill, but he is fair-minded in making
policies. He is known as a friend of
public power programs, but he Is not
the kind to allow such policy leanings
to influence him in the slightest in ad-
ministering rules or regulations set by
Congress.
MIR. Krug, in other words, is progress
sive and liberal and has been classed
as New Dealer. But his fairness Of
approach clearly associates him from
some OF the types who used to occupy
public office and under the cloak of pub
lie authority carried on private grudges
and feuds
Put WEB in Order.
When the War Production Board was
torn with strife and there were all kinds
OF intrigue in the organization, Cap"
Krug came along and rapidly put the
WPB in order, eliminating the trouble
makers and the plots and keeping at
tention focused on the important tasks
OF war production and the administra-
ton OF rules and regulations.
The Secretary of the Interior in the
governmental setup Of today has much
to say about public power projects, es-
pecially in connection with the distribu-
ton OF electric power out of the great
dams OF the Northwest. AS an engineer
and general manager of the Tennessee
valley Authority, Mr. Krug became
familiar with all phases of the contro-
versy between public utilities and gov
ernmental interests. One can feel as
sured that if public power gains in
momentum, it will be only because Mr..
krug has not camoufiaged facts or
fgures to make point in a crusade
but because he will have demonstrated
persuasively what areas or projects can
best be handled by Government and
what categories of power ALLEGATION can
be handled by private interests.
Mr.. Truman has secured the services
OF man who can accomplish much
for his administration in the Far West.
The Interior Department is one of the
agencies of Government that interests
the Far West. because of the problems
OF natural resources that have often
arisen to plague Washington admins
trations. What the office needs, of
course. is man of integrity and vision
as well as good administrator. What
1t needs also is some one with modesty
VINO can stay on the job and worry
about the problems of government in.
stead OF comments on his ego.
Significant in Other Ways.
The appointment is significant In
many other respects. 1t means that
President Truman, who made the selec.
ton himself, knows that the Demo-
cratic party's real purpose In public
analrs must be not to accept conserva-
tlsm or standpatism but to follow 4
liberal and progressive path. He knows
also that mere radicalism or left-wing
crusading is as bad in the other di-
rection as any other form of reaction
ary thinking. Mr.. Krug represents that
group Of liberals who would like to
Improve the entire quality and caliber
Of the public service.
II Mr.. Truman could find more men
OF the type of Gap" Krug he would
be able to raise the whole level Of
governmental service in the policy
making category. For the admins
tratlVe side, despite attacks often made
on the nature of governmental opera
tlons, the personnel is minded and
efnclent. 1t is in the realm of policy
making that troubles begin, causing
CONFUSION among the administrative
personnel who are here through various
administrations. This arises when at
tempts are made to introduce policies
that were never sanctioned by Con-
gress but have their origin in ths
fertile and resourceful minds of cru
saders who have a kind of contempt
for the law-making body anyhow and
prefer to write or rewrite the laws in
the form of administrative regulations
which go far beyond the letter or the
spirit of the original law.
The new Interior Secretary ap-
proaches public questions on the basis
OF the law and the facts and the
limits Of the authority given him. which
is a proper basis for successful ad-
ministration.
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