The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1956-03-08


Much has been written and said
during the past quarter century
regarding the rapidly growing con-
centration of power along the
shores of the Potomac. Thinking
Americans are keenly aware that
we are permitting this nation to
deteriorate from a Republic to
Democracy, as Washington usurps
more and more of the powers that
the Constitution so wisely gave to
the individual states.
The Federal Government takes
an ever-increasing share of the tax
dollar under the preteXt that it is
doing things for the people. But
in so doing, it robS the states of
tax revenues which prohibit the
states from doing those very
things for themselves at a much
lower cost The Federal Govern
ment siphons the money out of the
individual states, deducts a fee for
handling the deal and then re-
turns what is left to the individual
states One doesn't need to be an
economist to realize that this is a
cock-eyed as we'll as an expensive
and Wasteful procedure.
Back in 1941, the Hon. Hatton w
Summers Democrat Congressman
of Texas appeared on a radio for
UNI program. At that time, he was
Chairman of the Judiciary Com
mittee and Vice Chairman of
the Temporary National Economic
Committee. This latter had just
completed an exhaustive study of
Americas economy Judge Sum
ners, who incidentally was one of
the ablest Congressman ever TO
sit in the Lower House, was,
therefore, in an excellent position
to speak authoritatiVely on this
problem of federal encroachment.
What he said then is even more
true today, because in the fifteen
years that have since elapsed. cen
tralization of power at Washington
has greatly increased. Here is
what Congressman Summers had
TO say and from here on to the end
of this article, he is quoted:
1t has always been regarded by
the statesmen in every democracy
as a governmental necessity to
protect the private citizen against
oppression resulting from the abb
use of power. including that which
destroys competition and inter
feres with equality of opportunity
Economic concentration and gov
ernmental concentration of power
in any dominating agency are both
opposed to the philosophy and to
the possibility of a democratic
government.
When state SurrenderS a pow
er, the power to do that thing soon
departs. We leave the state, there
fore, weaker to do its remaining
duties. Through that process we
are destroying the states. Then we
bring those powers up to Washing
ton. Now, you people complain
about bureaucracy developing at
Washington. A bureaucracy is in
eVitable when the overload of gov
ernmental responsibility concen-
trated at one place is beyond the
capacity Of the machinery of gov
eminent which in turn is inSuS-
ceptible Of popular control 1t is
well to remind ourselves that there
are now connected with the oper-
alton Of the executive branch of
the government alone, over a mil
lion people, whose salaries amount
to two billion dollars a year. We
give them as a necessity arising
out of this concentration of gov
ernmental power, the power to
make rules which have the force
of law, cOnstrue rules, and enforce
rules. These are all the powers a
king ever had.
AS the concentration in Wash
ington increases and this person
mel increases, they become less and
less supervised We either must de-
centralize governmental RESPONSE
bility-I make this statement and
nobody can controvert tive have
the choice either of decentralizing
governmental power or surrender
ing the notion of preserving de-
mocracy We either decentralize or
govern by a great central bureau
crazy which nobody can control A
bureaucratic system of govern
ment is an alien to a democracy,