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Show The Investigating Habit. This Is an era of Investigations. From Congress down to tho istato legislatures, they'ro nil doing It. Commissions and cohiinlttees aro hlr4ng stenographers, summoning witnesses, spending money on railroad rail-road fares, smoking choice cigars, and seeing tho country. Just now tho cost of living subject Is tho favorite fav-orite Held, but n lot of other furnish fur-nish employment to out of work politicians. Tho very word Investigation Investi-gation has conio to seem almost ridiculous ridi-culous to tho public. Ordering an investigation lias been a favorite idea with tho politicians. poli-ticians. Whon they don't know what to do, or even aro determined to do nothing, providing nn investigation committee serves a useful purpose. It keeps petitioners quiet, thinking that something is being dono. Usually Us-ually by tho tlmo tho committee reports, re-ports, tho exigency has passed, and tho findings can be safely nnd quietly quiet-ly pigeonholed. Yet investigation is an essential idea in nil business. In commercial life no corporation undortakes n now problem without exhaustive study by its exports. The most careful soundings sound-ings nnd most painstaking experiments experi-ments aro made. Evidently tho trouble is not so 'much with tho essential Idea of legislative le-gislative investigation, as tho way It Is so often carried on, and the fact that bo frequently it Is futile. Many of theso Investigation com-mltteo com-mltteo reports really aro very gqod, but tholr findings aro Ignored. If tho moro pressing demand for action has blown over, tho legislators lose Intorest, nnd turn tholr nttontion to other things. Congress or any legislative legis-lative body that spends people's money for study of any pending problem should feel Itself responsible responsib-le to havo somo positive results How from tho report. An Investigation that merely stores away facts In a public document without the creation crea-tion of any now methods or systoms is n waste of public money. It displays dis-plays tho inability of tho politicians class to glvo business administration. |