Show tuf 44 discretion IN government r IL A college professor of political science mid and history says that the teapot dome scandal is is the product of a discretionary Discretional 7 form of government ern ment he reasons that the demands have been so great on our federal administrative officers that important functions of the government have bave been delegated to appointive licaus of departments part ments and more or less detached commissions authorized by law creating a form forin of discretionary government v whatever may he be blamed blame 4 for the present scandal it is deplorable and a remedy for the cause underlying it will have to be found we have before us every day in the dispatches from froni washington ample evidence talat discretion is a lost art in washington at least among those who have been involved in the pil scandal revelations if this is the natural consequence of discretionary government T it is time tinie that matli bo be changed at washington it is true that in the earlier history of the republic the tho important functions funt ions of government were much more constantly under the guidance of the president and congress the pressure of government business rapidly became so great with the development of the country that it is now impossible for the chief executive to give the same careful attention to the details of his administration apparently the government has lagged in its duty it lias has not created machinery necessary to check up on the acts of this vast number of bureaus and commissions to which have bave been delegated authority forni formerly erly vested in elected officials the time is probably not far fair away away when our governmental machinery will be drastically overhauled and reorganized the sad part about it is that we seem to have waited too long |