The President, in sending this report to Congress with his full dorsement, referred to it historic document." If it is adopted future students of political science or American history will read It as one their sources in whatever univer sity they may be studying, of that there {sno doubt. But after the frst stunned shock of surprise had passed, opposition began to swell within the ranks of Congress and the President will have a hard task In saving some Its proposals from destruction.
Its chiot suggestions are the aboli-lon' of the old American custom of Alling government positions with staunch party men who have deserve ed well of their political machine: the "creation of two new Cabinet officers, one to look after public works, the other old-age and unemployed pensions: the strengthening the White House staff to make it a far more effective force both in administration and in guidance Togisiation; and the reduction of nearly 100 independent and semi-Independent agencies, bureaux, departments, authorities and corpora-Hons to twelve, each under the head of 2 Cabinet member.
Desire "Capaelty The President believes that the Improvement in American adminis trative methods is not only of domestic Importance, but of world Importtance, Democracies have been accused of a {otal inability to net in aerials and the idea of democratic government has been contrasted with efficient government (as in the Alctatorships) as though the two, were incompatible, America, the jonid be America's contribu ton to stable world, She can take no active pence show that a well governed nation, that a democratie™ nation "can be A well governed nation, Peace and de~ mocracy, the President holds, are blood brothers; so are dictatorships and war.
With $0 idealist a conception, as this in his mind the President. bo-comes a little impatient with those earthy souls whose sole conception fof reform is a method of securing treater economies in government. Governmental reform to save dollars has little "appeal compared with. governmental reform to save democracy. "Minor economies mi effected, but the main purpose should be to serve the peuple better, and fo serve the people so obviously. etter that the rest of the world is Impressed, Alter talking privately with number of Congressmen I am con-vineed that their real objections to the President's committee report is that they do not feel a government should be too efficient. It should do Mts Job reasonably well, but a rigid machine like efficiency isn't quite American, A country, for example, which every trac offender was certain of punishment would be a most undesirable place to live in. A slight elasticity, a human capacity to err, makes government far more acceptable. But this sentimental approach. stemming no doubt from that subconscious anarchical. feeling jabot what Is best governed is least Boverned is not suitable for oMelal, Public objections. These are based fon different grounds, The most obvious line of attack is that the proposed reorganization vould crystallize the enormous expansion "in government activity which has taken place since the do: pression, The so-called emergency agencies would be immortalized sections of one of the regular departments, The danger was not that. bureaucracy operated by politicians had ison Instead of n bureaucracy. operated by trained civil. servants, the danger was bureaucracy. "As the emergency passes I do noi believe that the country wilt Tong submit te Federal expenditures at the rate of be fen Per cent. of our present nations! income," said Senator Byrd of Vir~ finia, who has a reorganization scheme of his own which he much prefers
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.