| OCR Text |
Show PIIJHL PILOT THIS IB "MOST PERSONAL" ADMINISTRATION AD-MINISTRATION THAT EVER HELD SWAY IN COUNTRY. RULES WITH THE BIRCH" ROD Orester Legislative Acts of Present Congress Will Btar Name of Preel-dent Preel-dent Rather Than Their Legislative Legisla-tive Champions. By GEORGE CLINTON. Washington. It beglus to look today to-day as If all the greater legislative acta of the present congress will bear as titles the name of Wilson. If the Underwood tariff bill goes through both bouses in the form In which It has been presented the Alabama leader's lead-er's name will be eliminated from It by the public and It will be called the Wilson bill. .Mem bore of congress aay this today, and tbey go much further by adding that currency reform and anti-trust bills, no matter of what house or senate parentage, will bear the name of the man who today "rulea" from the White House. Senator Owen of Oklahoma, who la chairman of the new senate committee commit-tee on banking and currency which will consider currency reform legislation, legisla-tion, already la preparing for the day when he with bla fellow Democratic committeemen must meet the real pilot pi-lot face to face In the president's room In the senate wing. Democratic senstors and representatives representa-tives say that this Is the "most personal" per-sonal" administration which ever held way In the country. These same senators sen-ators and representatives a few years ago objected strongly to what they called the big stick methods of Theodore Theo-dore Roosevelt Mr. Roosevelt wielded wield-ed his big stick at a distance and got results. Mr. Wilson Is taking the schoolmaster's way of close contsct with his pupils and is using the birch rod In the privacy of the capltol lecture lec-ture rooms. Perhaps It Is too rough a way to put It to say that the birch rod Is being used, for from all reports It would seem thst the kindly persuasive method meth-od hss been adopted by the president He lectures a bit. It Is said, and bis theme Is '.The Duty to One's Country," although the theme has occasionally varied to "The Duty to One's Tarty." Presldsnt'a Course Approved. It Is known in Washington that Mr. Wilson is getting hundreds of letters dally from all parts of the country upholding up-holding bis "course of contact" with the senator lid representatives. In the last ten years it has become apparent ap-parent in Washington from the letters which have been received at the Whit House and at the capltol that the ordinary American cltlien baa Come to believe that congress, the senate sen-ate particularly, baa been a law unto Itself rather (baa law unto the country. Wben Roosevelt rebuked congress and an attempt was made to rebuke blm in return the White Houae received ten letters on commendation for Its course to every one received by the bouse of representatives. This Democratic congress will undertake un-dertake to revise the Sherman laws, to reform currency, to provide for efficiency ef-ficiency and economy in the department depart-ment service of the government to pass some legislation looking to Philippine Phil-ippine Independence, to change the present course of conservation en-leavor en-leavor and to do some other things of high moment On every one of these things Mr. Wilson bas said omethlag. and it is therefore taken For granted here that be Intends to isy a good deal more wben the proper Lime comes for the consideration of each piece of legislation, lie will tend messages certainly on currency reform, because be has said so, and probably on the other subjects. These uesssges It is not believed he will read la person, but It Is thought that be will go to the capltol after bills bave been prepared on each subject ind sent to the proper committees, ind that be will give to the Democratic Demo-cratic majority of each committee at close range his views of what form the bills should tske when presented to house and senate for majority con-(deration. con-(deration. Will Cut Expenses. Men close to the administration bint that the president wishes to bave his administration go down Into history as one which accom- i pllshed an actual saving to the o vera men t of $100,000,000 a year. It i was the desire of Mr. Wilson's prede- , ressor la office that history should re- rord a saving of this amount to his i idmlalstrstlon. but Mr. Taft did not ; ucceed la doing any more than building build-ing aad starting the machine which may turn out this big piece of econ- I my. Historians therefore may give , Mr. Wilson the credit for accomplish- , neat, but gtve Mr. Taft the credit for , waking accomplishment possible, and Titers of records usy go back fur- , her Into history and give Theodore , Roosevelt a part of the Initial credit During the last three admlnistra- : Ions there were efforts at economy. Mr. Roosevelt started what wascall-id wascall-id the Keep commission, which con- -ersed Itself largely with trying to ( Ind out where the "leaks of service" sere, and where boat stopper could m put In. Mr. Tart appointed a com-1 1 Btaaloa of economy and efficiency, i sbos work it was. aad still is. to , itady las whole Itaatloa aa regarda , txpeadltur aad s err lew la all the , lepartmeeta, and to aaak saving i ecommendatloo. . Mr. Taft sent see- trmi seasage to eoa gross accompany- , ag reports of the commission. , Frederick A. Cleveland, who la I chairman of the commtaaton on economy econ-omy and efficiency, Is In frequent conferences con-ferences with President Wilson. A year ago the Democratic majority In the houae wanted to do away with the commission and Its activities, but the w tser counsel of the leaders prevailed, and the three commissioners ae working work-ing today as hard as they die during the previous administration. Mr. Wilson Wil-son wants to ssve $100,000,000 a V". but It can be set down safely that hH thinks It is possible this amount of thf saving may be doubled. V Will Cut Revenues. The Democratic tariff bill. If It paaaea congress and la signed by the president, In anything Ilka Ita present form, will cut the yearly revenue of the government to an amount very nearly equal to that which has been et down ss the president's desire to save by economy and efficiency In government gov-ernment The Income tax probably will more than make good the cut cauaed by the reduction In tariff rates, but If $100,000,000 could be saved the government could do away with Its Income taxation. If It chose, and still have a yearly Income equal to that of tbe present. The economy and efficiency commission commis-sion baa aurvived many a atorm, and It seems to be in fine condition today, and to be In sympathetic communication communica-tion with the president of the United States, it Is virtually assured that Mr. Wilson Intends In a message to urge the budget system of handling tt appropriation bills, and likewise to urge the adoption of a good many of the reforms which Mr. Cleveland and his associates on the economy and efficiency commission, Walter W. Warwick War-wick and Merrltt O. Chance, bave recommended. rec-ommended. Some ef tbe plans which bave been suggested for economy and efficiency have ceased to worry any. body. Tbe Democrats last year were made to believe, or at any rate seemingly seem-ingly made to believe, that If the commission's com-mission's plans were adopted thousands thou-sands of men and women at work In Washington would lose tbelr placea, that the government service would be crippled, and that money could be aaved ouly at the expense of efficiency. effi-ciency. Tbe government elerke have learned that tbe plans of tbe commission. If adopted, will not mean loss of plsces but very likely the creation of more places, tbe salaries of which can bs paid out of tbe savings made while the government, using the surplus of the saving, can extend its beneficent operations into a good many fields which it has not yet entered. Tske Kindly to Economy Plsn. Representatives In congress who believe be-lieve In public buildings for tbe borne districts and who also think that river and harbor Improvements are more necessary than the people generally ( seemingly are willing to admit, haVe been taking kindly to the plana for saving hundred of millions without causing anybody to lose his Job, and with tbe seeming certainty that the government's beneficent functions can be extended. s With $300,000,000 or less saved very year tbe men who Ilk "pork barrel" legislation think that there will be less opposition to public buildings build-ings and river and harbor improvements, improve-ments, even those of the not strictly necesssry kind. It makes little dlf- i fereuce whether it la a selfish motive or not which has brought the change i of view In congress. It will lead probably, It Is said, to support for the plana of tbe economy and offl- , clency commission. , Tbe government'! expenses Iscresse ( year by year, and it Is a natural increase in-crease in a way, because tbe needs and tbe numbers of tbe governed coo- tlnually Increase. New Ordsr Pleases. i When the "no office-seekers need i apply" sign was put up over the i door of the White Mouse early i last month there was a great noise, and the tone of It was protest more i or less charged with auggestlons of profanity. Now It Is said that ths senators and representatives In con- i greas are rather pleased with the new order of things. They have gone to i the cabinet officials with their pleat for preferment for offlc for theli friends and have found that the mem- bera of the official family are under strict Instructions from President Wll ( son to listen patiently to every proper ( presentation of a man's rase and to deride on the merits thereof. Woodrow Wilson has tnsde a grest many "political" appointments to of- i flee and before he gets throngh he i probably will make a good many i more, but Democrats claim, and some of the Republicans admit, that It seems aa If the professional politicians politi-cians of the Democratic warty are to get leas of the mere spoils of office than some of the psrty men think Is their Just dun after having been kept away from the counter for sixteen long years. In nearly every "as appointments by a president, whether he be a Democrat Dem-ocrat or a Republican, are political In ine sens, but not necessarily In the ( offensive sens for which the word political so frequently Is made to , stand Probably out of every 100 , of the appointments to office which Mr. Wilson or his cabinet officers have made, or are to make, will be appointments of Democrats, but It does not necessarily follow that they ( will b given office because of polltl- , pal service. At the Whit House the other dsy , It was said1 by on who oagbt to know , lb president's mind on the subject that every roan who was given a place would expect to CO it This was ( laid ta direct connection with the aa- , B ounce ment that the sonln law of Senator OTJonnaa of New York. Dudley Dud-ley Field Malon. was to a give, the sfflee of thtri aawtstaat secretary of i tat. |
