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Show 'ECONOMY IS Taft Would Do Away, With the Political , Sinecure Washington. Jan. 17 now the peoplo of the United States mav havo saved for them millions of dollars annually In tho operation of therl governmental government-al machinery was outlined by President Presi-dent Taft today in a messago to Congress Con-gress on 'eoonomy and efficiency in tho government servicp." "What the government does with nearly .$1,000,000,000 each year" said tho President, "is as of as much concern con-cern to the average citizen as is tho mannor of obtaining this amount of money for the public use." Probably the most radical proposal advanced "ijy the president In today's message was that all administrative officers of the government In the departments de-partments at Washington and in tho field ho put under the civil service, be remover) from the influence of politics and that their terms of office of-fice be not limited, as at present, to four years. Such officers should not bo appointed by tho President with the necessity of Senate confirmation, he said, but upon merit. "The extension ex-tension of the merit system to these officers and a needed readjustment of salaries,"' said ho, "will have Important Im-portant effects In securing greater economy nnd efficiency. The view-that view-that these various offices are to be filled as a result of political consideration consid-eration ha8 for its consequence the necessity that the President and members of Congress devoto to matters mat-ters of patronage timo which thoy should devote to questions of policy and administration." The President did not attempt to explain in detail tho work of economy and efficiency commission created by act of congress a year nnd a half ago Ho sketched the outlines of Improvements Im-provements thnt he said could ho made In government servlco,, declared de-clared that they would offect a saving sav-ing of many millions of dollars and asked that Congress continue tho commission by granting an aproprla-tlon aproprla-tlon of 5200,000 with $50,000 for printing print-ing its reports From time to tlmo, he added, reports of tho commission proposing particular reforms would be sent to Congress. Advocates Commlcalon "I ask ' said the President, "tho continuance of this commission on economy and efficiency because of the excellent beginning which has been made towards the re-organi7n-tlon of tho machinery of this government govern-ment on business principles. I ask it because ,its work Is entirely nonpartisan non-partisan In character and ouglit to apply to evcncitlzen who wishes to give effectiveness to popular government govern-ment in which wo feel a just pride I sincerely hope that Congress will not, In Its anxiety to reduce expenditures, expen-ditures, cconomlzo by cutting off an approprlatlqn which is likely to offer greater opportunity for real economy in tho futiiro than any othor estimated esti-mated for.'' |