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The Commoner
VOL. 13, NO. 28
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The Work of the President's Cabinet
When ono begins to investigate the duties of
cabinet members, tbo magnitude of their work
and the many Important matters coming under
thoir supervision are immediately appreciated.
Tho roadors of The Commoner will, no doubt,
bo interested In reading a report of tho progress
being made from month to month and of tho
work that tho various departments hope to ac
complish, as far as their plans are ready to give
to tho public.
effected many important reforms and changes
in the direction of efficiency and progress. Un
der his Immediate supervision large economies
havo been effected in the letting of various im
portant contracts in which the government is
concerned, and by his direction the comptroller
of tho currency has put into operation rules and
regulations relating to the government and su
pervision of the 7,473 national banks now under
this department, which have already been pro
ductive of good results and promise even better
for tho future.
THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT
On tho day that William G. McAdoo took tho
oath of ofllco as secretary of the treasury, last
March, ho was asked if he had any definite plan
or policy for tho administration of tho depart
ment. "Yes," ho replied, "I havo a very definite pol
icy mapped out. I expect to have the treasury
department working for all tho people of the
United States, every business day from now until
I turn it over to my successor."
Tho now secretary has been in office a little
more than four months, but ho has already dem
onstrated that he Is able to carry out his policy
of making tho United States treasury work for
all tho people and all the business interests of
tho country, instead of a favored few.
When the secretary took charge of tho treas
ury ho found that the government had $48,
754,000 on deposit in the national banks of the
country on which the government was receiving
no Interest. Ho also found that the government
had $912,000 in the banks upon which it was
rocelving two per cent interest. He thereupon
issued an order that on and after June 1, 1913,
all government depositories, throughout the
country would bo required to pay interest at the
rate of two per cent per annum on government
doposits. This was followed by the announce
ment that ho would place In the national banks
$10,000,000 of government money, upon which
interest would also be required at the rate of
two per cent per annum. More than ninety-nine
per cent of the 1,402 depository banks readily
acquiesced in the secretary's order relative to the
payment of interest, and the government's net
income has thus been Increased to tho extent
of more than $1,100,000 annually.
A few weeks later when the great money
lenders began to tighten their grip on the coun
try; when pessimistic propaganda were being
sent broadcast, and threats and rumors of a
panic were rife, Secretary McAdoo sounded a
reassuring note in his announcement that Uncle
Sam had on hand and ready for issue $500,
000,000 of bank notes, as provided for in the
Aldrich-Vreeland act, which ho would make
immediately available for the whole country if
the occasion demanded. This prompt action had
an immense effect in restoring public confidence
and in relaxing the money situation, and quite
upset any schemes which might have been in
contemplation by money hoarders for reaping a
panic-grown harvest.
No sooner was the early summer panic scare
allayed than another cry went up from the
country that money could not bo obtained from
the east to move the great crops of the west'
and south. This emergency the secretary also
promptly met with the announcement that the
government was prepared to deposit $50,000,000
at two per cent interest in the banks in those
states where the heaviest crops are being liar-'
vested and are to be moved, and that these de
posits would be made easily available for the
banks by allowing them to offer good commer
cial paper as well as bonds as security for such
government deposits. The result of this an
nouncement has been an immediate and appre
ciative response from banks and bankers
throughout the west and south, strongly com
mending the move and giving assurances that
there is now no longer a fear of anticipated
stringency or concern about the moving of the
bountiful crops which the earth has yielded
in tho year 1913.
Besides these specific innovations and reforms,
tho secretary has brought into the administra-
1 tion of the treasury department the sound and
progressive methods of a modern business man,
together with the clear vision and generous
impulses of a true patriot. As a thorough busi
ness man of unusually broad experience, he is
closely scrutinizing the affairs of every bureau
and division in the department and has already
DEPARTMENT OF WAR
Secretary of War Garrison has been making
a tour of inspection of the army posts through
out tho United States. This personal investiga
tion will be of great service in carrying out his
plans for bringing the army up to the highest
standard of efficiency. It is difficult to condense
into a short report the important matters in
connection with the war department that would
be of interest to the people. One of the most
important needs of the army at this time, in
the judgment of Secretary Garrison, is to have
the people of the United States view it in the
proper light. By confusion of thought some
people appear to think that there is something
incompatible between the desire for peace and
the proper state of preparedness for war. Brief
consideration will convince anyone that exactly
the opposite is the case. Secretary Garrison is
not at all in sympathy with militarism, by which
he understands is meant a large standing army,
imposing burdensome expense on the govern
ment. Ho is also an earnest advocate of peace.
Our country has now 100,000,000 population
and covers an enormous amount of territory.
The enlisted strength of our army is about
87,000, and deducting the garrisons in Alaska,
Panama, Hawaii, Philippine Islands, and the
coast artillery forts in the United States there
are 33,000 men in this country. The total
enlisted strength authorized by congress is
100,000, The war department has not suggest
ed an increase in the size of the army, but
has recently expressed the thought of a .provi
sion for trained reserves and for calling into
action volunteers if the occasion, arises. In a
recent statement Secretary of War Garrison
said:
"I would like to see a short term enlistment
contract that will enable us to obtain young
men and give them the valuable military train
ing which will make them useful in the event of
future trouble, and turn them back into the
body politic bettor equipped than ever to con
duct their economic pursuits. I would like a
well-drawn volunteer law ready for use if needs
should arise. Undeveloped military resources,
by which I mean vast bodies of untrained men
are no more valuable in time of need than the
valuable minerals lying in Alaska are valuable
in the time of financial panic. Every reasonable
mind v must reach the conclusion that in the
present state of civilization it is necessary for
every great nation to have a sufficient armed
force to insure its safety at home and respect
abroad. Lot us always hope that our govern
ment will make only righteous decrees. The
army in the United States is not maintained
for aggression, but for the purpose of protection
and for tho purpose of having the necessary
amount of force to carry out what our govern
ment determines to be right. I have no fear
but that those who carefully consider the sit
uation will reach the proper conclusion and
will uphold the hands of the administration
in advancing our small force to a high state
vof efficiency, so that it may form a nucleus of
a school of instruction for the citizen soldiery
on which we will havo to rely in the event of
any conflict. Wlien our citizens fully realize
the situation they will create tho public opinion
which always finds reflection in legislation and
in administration. This is, I think, the most
important thing so far as my department is at
present concerned."
As this report was prepared as we were going
to press, time will not permit mention of many
plans which are under way to bring the armv
up to the highest standard of efficiency.
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
The department of justice, of which the at
torney general is the hoad, is charged primarily
with the interpretation and execution of federal
T
laws. Some five thousand persons, scatter
throughout the states and territories, are necos
sary to carry on thip work, and their selection
alone is a great undertaking. The federal and
territorial judges, district attorneys, marshals
and a host of deputies, assistants and clerks are
appointed through this department, for all of
which places the attorney general is expected
to recommend suitable men.
The president and cabinet members have the
right to ask the opinion of the attorney general
upon any point of law necessary to enable thera
to proceed in matters requiring their action.
As the business of the government grows, the
variety and importance of these opinions In
crease. They greatly influence the activities
of any administration.
The litigation, criminal and civil, in which
the government is constantly engaged is amaz
ingly varied and important. On the criminal
side it includes prosecutions from murder down
to selling liquor to an Indian. On the civil
side the cases range from a suit on an ordinary
bond to recover a small sum, to proceedings
to dismember trusts with millions of capital.
More than a fifth of the causes tried in the su
preme court directly involve the interest of the
government: All this litigation is subject to
the superintendence and direction of the attor
ney general; and in the most important parts
of it he must be prepared to assist by counsel
or argument.
Two great penitentiaries are under the de
partment, and their complicated affairs demand
constant care. The applications for pardons
alone require an amount of labor and considera
tion of which few have any adequate idea. The
recently enacted statute permitting the parole
of prisoners after one-third of the sentence has
been endured, adds to the difficulties in the
management of these institutions.
A corps of examiners and secret service agents
constitute a part of the attorney general's staff,
and through them he is expected to detect
crimes, apprehend criminals and secure their
conviction. In addition to this, .they are con
cerned with supervising the affairs of the dis
trict attorneys, marshals and clerks throughout
all the states, and occasionally they must ascer
tain the facts where a judge is charged with
derelictions.
When congress is in session the department
is often called upon for opinions concerning
bills, for reports, papers, etc., and must be pre
pared for no end of emergencies.
There is no such law office in the world as the
one presided over by the attorney general. All
manner of troubles encountered by the various
' agencies of the government .daily find their way
to him; criminals must be detected, prosecuted
and incarcerated; and civil litigation, involving
the most momentous issues and sums almost
beyond computation, must be originated, planned
and carried into effect.
The department is sorely in .need of proper
housing in Washington and more well paid men,
who, having learned the government business,
can afford to remain and care for it.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE POSTAL SERVICE
Since assuming charge of his office, Postmas
ter General Burleson has made a careful study
of postal affairs and many improvements in tne
service have been worked out under his direc
tion. One of the first things that he did was
to make it plain that postmasters in the presi
dential grades would be held to strict account
ability in the matter of the time that they de
vote to their respective offices and the character
of service they actually perform. In maK1PJ
new appointments at offices of the presidential
grades the department hereafter will require,
in addition to the usual qualifications with re
spect to ability, character and business expe
rience, an assurance from the appointee tna
his whole business time will bo devoted to tne
duties of the office to which he is aPP,01!1?.0:
Heretofore, many of the postmasters of tnew
offices were engaged in other business ana uw
conduct of the offices received little or none o
their attention and the service greatly suiieieu
thereby. s
And last, but by no means the least,
the executive order of May 7, 1913, which pie
scribes a test for determining the ptne ler
fourth-class postmasters for classification uuu
civil service laws. President RosevT'H,lC
November 30, 1908, issued an order covei"f
into the classified civil service turthciaS?0Sern
masters in certain northern and Dortiwefnl2f
states, and President Taft, on October 1)'TXJlted
extended the order to cover. tho entire
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