Evening Star Newspaper, July 2, 1922, Page 25

h) ¥ ‘are not ‘diately the purchase of American EDITORIAL PAGE - NATIONAL PROBLEMS SPECIAL ARTICLE E DITORIAL SECTI - The Sund ON St Part 2—20 Pages Postmaster General Pictures An Efficient Postal Service BY HUBERT WORK. Postmaster Gene: HE principle function of the [longer need to be kept in separate eneral is to see |drawers, an ancient method of ac- Postmaster G that a hundred million people are served daily with fidelity and the greatest dispatch of which human ingenuity is capable. The great postal system of the country. manned by neariy half a million workers—willing and satisfied work- ers—constitutes what might be termed the greatest husiness institution on earth. But. like other business cerns, it functions not for profit, landation or self-glorification, but swith the sole object of rendering that intimately personal service for which 1t was created and to which the public tit reauently T am asked to discuss. 111 its ramifications. matters relat- to the economic business admin- iticn of the postal service. When the present administration took t was found that what had to be the world's greatest busi- come < was being operated in some re- cts an unbusiness-like principles A the public had become dissatis- fiea with an institution whose ineffi-} cient operation was a matter of daily cern to them. President Harding's sdministration had pledged itself to \re business in government and vernment in business.” and the aficials appointed in the Post Office partment throughout the nation wore consequently charged with sut these policies. Servire Vo Longer ntralized Here. known as the decentraliza- t office work was inaugu- present administration. principle of decen- < 1o do everything in a that can be done a postmaster, state Formerly whather twenty-five or ,m Washington, sent his inquiries nd complaints to the department. Now they take all such service mat- ters up with their eentral accountfng r or their inspector in ind zet quick and reliable ation. in some localities many < ahead of the time formerly re- system has been insti the cost of one addi- through more intensive sired. T without penny rsanization Further. post office supplies former- 1y shipped from Washington, involv fnz delavs, sometimes to the embar- ment of the local office, are now sipplied direct from the central ac- € unting office within the state. With the beginning of th@néw fiscal vystem of handling funds district offices has sugurated, which will enable 7 to finance themselves, and will minate the rendition and auditing 7 %00.000 month!y money order state- \ents each year. Postal funds and ione: funds from whatever ree immediately become inter- RY BEN McKELWAY. I'nited States a man can the clothes he wears. the house he lives in, the automobile he rides in. the graphophone or piano that gives him his music and the hooks that he reads on the prin- ciple of “a dollar down and a dollar wesk® A popular song has it that he can get married. educate his ehildren and pay for his own funeral an the same system. Conditional sales & hecome such an established part nomic life—or maybe our mical” life—that a large entage of virtually all retail busi- conducted that way. b our e ness The success of the conditional sales is stem the United States is one ,f the factors responsible for a move- ment just beginning, which it is hoped will create an interest and perhap$ lead to_proper legislation that would permit conditional sales in our for- trade with Latin American re- in eign publics. M such a volume of retail Tusiness is transacted on the part- payment plan with such success in the United States, why cannot it be made to apply to wholesale exchange of goods between merchants in the United States and Latin America? Standard Sales Act Drafted. The United States section of the inter-American high commission, under the direction of Secretary Hoover and its secretary, Dr. Leo S. Rowe, director’general of the Pan- American Union, Is about to take a step which may be the beginning of a new departure in foreign trade. The uniform conditional sales act, which was prepared by the commission on uniform state laws, and which has been adopted by more than a dozen states in the last year or so, has been translated by Dr. G. S. Sher- well, juristic expert of the American section, and prepared for the use of all the other sections of the inter- American high commission in Latin America. This uniform conditional gales act will undoubtedly be adopted within the next few years by all the etates and thus become the standard for this country under which all business involving conditional sales ‘will be conducted. Time Necesary Factor. Nothing in the immediate future in the way of definite action on the part f\of Latin American republics is ex- . South American business men expected jo begin imme- goods on the installment plan. But the action.of the American section is 500 miles ( judgments are based, so that when i | changeable and available for any ex- penses of the office. They will no counting. adopted when postmasters could not keep books. Cloner Relations With Patrons Sought. Following the ‘plan of paying in-| sured parcel post claims in the field | we also have extended this méthod to C. 0. D. cases. By this action we | expect to materially expedite the ad- | justment of these claims and estab- | lish a eloser business relation with| our patrons. We have undertaken the reorgani- zation of approximately 100 of the| largest post offices serving the great | population centers of the country. nd! which conduct about 65 per cent of | the postal business. In one such of- fice serving 796.836 patrons. we have eftected a saving of $300.000 annual- 1y. without curtailing or impairing the service. In this policy of reorganization I have not overlooked my own house- | hold, and a thorough survey and in-| spection of my immediate department at Washington has been under way for the past six weeks, resulting in the elimination of approximately 150 unnecessary positions inherited from the previous administration and ef-! fecting an annual saving of $156.000, ! together with the transfer of 540 em- | ployes to another department of mp: | government where they properly be- longed. Pollcies Planned At Weekly Councils. There is wisdom in counsel. Each week the executive officers of the de. partment meet in weekly conferenc. the Postmaster General's staff twice | and present their problems| for discussion. upon which united! instructions are issued they are the result of an exchange of views, which goes far in arriving at a correct solu- | tion. T understand this had never been done before in the department. President Harding has appointed! 7.318 postmasters. Of this number 908 | were soldiers. 1.073 were women, and | 1.272 were employes who were pro-! moted from the ranks without exam- | ination, the latter being an innova-| tion which enables the department to | reward meritorious service. There! jhave been some 8.000 fourth-class!produced each day. postmasters appointed also, making a | total of 15.318. \ We extended the time for reinstat- Iing employes who had resigned, and!business revival. { in the matter of retirement we have devised a system for physical exam- ination enabling us to continue those physically qualified in the service, re- gardless of their age. Substitute carriers, wherever pos-| sible, are used in the delivery of spe-| cial delivery mail. thus placing the| service in more responsible Lands and | i | l affording substitutes the maximum of | atin America May Get U.S. Products | Needed and Pay on Installment Plan interesting in that it is the first step toward obtaining the Interest and co-operation of Latin American republics in a plan which it is be- lleved would prove as successful in wholesale forelgn trade as it has proved itself to be in the domestic retail business of this country. The American section of the commission is simply bringing the matter to the attention of forelgn governments by showing them the methods used here and pointing to its success as an in- dication of its value. Operate Against Exporters. There are three principal factors which have been working to the dis- advantage of American exporters to Latin America. One is the adverse exchange rate, which has favored Eu- ropean business. Another is the fact that, aside from the rate of exchange, goods are manufactured cheaper in Europe than in the United States and their cost price is lower than that necessarily fixed by American manu- facturers. The third is the lack ot capital with which to buy what we have to sell. Those who have studied the conditional sales system believe it would prove a partial remedy, at least, for most of this difficulty. Pro- vided there were laws in Latin Amer- ican republics to protect the exporter in the United States, as well as the consumer in South America, there is no reason why American exporters could not sell to wholesale merchants In Latin America on a modification of what is known in retail business as the “installment plan." The system would, in turn, be extended down the line through the retail merchant In South America and to the ultimate consumer. This would naturally ob- Viate the necessity for a large out- lay of capital in the beginning and would put American products within i the reach of many, as has been done in.the United States, who otherwjse would be forced to forego their pur- chase. In turn, American importers | would be able to buy Latin American products on the same system. Sewing Machine Pioneer. Conditional sales are little known in Latin America. ‘It s true that one ‘American company whose particular product 18 sewing machines has been able to draw up a contract worded in such a way as to :enable it to sell in Latin America on a system closely resembling that which has sold so many millions of sewing machines. in the United States. And in Brazil a conditional sales arrangement has en- abled the government to purchase jour solicitor. j ter supervision of appropriations for WASHINGTON, D. C, employment. : Newspaper mail is being given spe- clal attention and delays are being checked up; the circulation of the press has been improved; bureaus of information and telephones have been established at post offices; construc- tive criticism has been invited; post- masters have been urged to partici- pate in civic affairs for the improve- | ment of the postal service, and meeg- ings of employes and postmasters in conventions have been encouraged as means of promoting personal con- tact and interchange of ideas with reference to service matters. The as- sembly of postmasters:for exchange, of views is regarded as of so much importance that an order will soon issue from the Postmaster General permitting them to do so on govern- ment time. The department sent representatives te the postal convention at Buenos| Aires last September, which resulted ! in greater facilities for commercial | development hetween thé United States and South American ceuntries One of the results will be,the estab- lishment of two-cent letter postage with South American countries when the treaties have been ratified. Huge Sum Saved On Stamped Envelopes. Last vear negotiations with the! stamp envelope contractors resulted in the cancellation of their existing four-year contracts and a new agree- ment for the balance of the terms. A | saving of $6.276.194.80 was effected | through the assistance. of course, of Two hundred and fifty | thousand dollars have been saved in the purchase of supplies. and by bet- operating the service we have saved $15,000.000 for the fiscal vear just| closing. One indication of this readjustment of business is to be found in the pos- tal receipts, which began No- vember to show a steady increase. For the succeeding months the gain over the corresponding period of the | previous vear has been around & per | las cent until May. when it jumped to 14 per cent. The United States Stamped Envelope Agency 8n June 2, 1922 reached the high-water mark in pro- | duction. when the output was 11.636.- | 000 envelopes. For six consecutive | weeks just previous to that date an average of 10,000.000 envelopes were | This shows that the business man, who uses the greater number of these envelopes, is | preparing to share in the tremendous | The postal busimess of the United States has doubled in the past ten years. Very few new post office buildings have been erected during | the past eikht years, and they most in the south, where the minimum in- crease in business has occurred. Our} parcel post has increased from 7 per cent to 64 per cent of our total busi- ness since 1913. confined to sewing machines, while the other has to do only with gov- ernment purchase of rail equipment, so the fleld is very limited. Need Is Apparent. 1 It may be a long time before laws | governing conditions sales—which provide that the title remain with the seller until the product is nearly paid for—are adopted in South Amer- ican republics. But the need thefe for purchases on the “dollar ‘down and a dollar a week” principle are as great if not greater than in the United States. . Virtually all of the busine: in farm machinery in this country is transacted on a partial payment basis, There are hundreds of farmers today who would not own the reaper or the mowing machine or planter so necessary in the conduct of their business if they ! were not allowed to pay for it in small installments. In South America agri- culture will play a large part in the development of many of the repub- lics, and agriculture cannot be con- ducted successfully lacking the proper tools and implements. There is -a vast market, therefore, for American agricultural machinery in South America, but under present! conditions its purchase by hundreds | of farmers who need it is impossible | because of the comparatively large outlay of capital necessary at the start. Agricultural machinery is only one of the products which those familiar with the situation believe | would be brought nearer the regch of the ultimate consumer by nn1 stallment payment plan. Not Pre: The American section of the com- mission has simply started the ball rolling in the right direction. By an; infinite amount of labor and with! painstaking care, the American laws governing conditional sales have been translated with suitable explanations for the use of the other sectlons of the commission. = There has been nothing in the form of a suggestion that the other sections take the mat- n- & the Matter. ter up, for such falls without the province of the United States section. But working in this manner the inter- American high _commission has brought about the passdge of stand- ard.laws on other subjects among a number of the American republics, and there is no reason why the pres- ent movement should not be success- ful after a suitable length of time. Anything that savors of “stand- ardization” makes Mr. Hoover xmllel with bliss, and the present plan of the United States section carries his rallway equipment. But the one is. full indorsement. 5 ; ¥ - HOME WITH SOME FEARS . BY N. 0. MESSENGER. OING “back home” to “fix up the political fences" is now the most. popular form of outdoor sport among members of the House of Representatives—that is, if you don’t mind what you say, and call it sport. To a great many of them it is going to be mighty hard work. Also, “making hay while the sun shines” aethey say in the political world, promises to be as heating to some of them as the actual hay-tossing under a July sun. But that is reflection of the extreme pessimists among the brethren.” There are others of them who feel that maybe things are not so bad, after all. They feel much like the old lady, who, on on her death bed, said that the most of the troubles of her life were the things that had never happened to her. So. with the adjournment of the House until August 15, and the departure of the fajthful from Washington for rural or urban precincts, probably the majority will go with hope springing high the bosom and the feeling that possibly things may not be as bad as they feared. b * % % Xk There is comfort to them in the thought that in the ninety-two primaries for renomination to the House' already held, only six in- cumbents have been defeated for renomination. Moreover, it is held probable that much of this alleged discontent with Congress is of intangible nature, a kind of general “grouch” against Congress as a whole, from which the individual is excepted by his own con- stituency. Political observers who travel the country over in campaigns will say that “back home" the “congressman” In some congested city districts he may not know so 000 or more constituents, but outside of those the s in Congress looms large in the public's esteem. The personage. many of his representati s a pretty important glamor of Washington and Congress surrounds him, and, unques- tionably. there is a glamor attendant upon the national lawmaking body in the National Capital. The average representative who is _returning to his constitu- ency now will put in the most of his time for the next six weeks traveling over his district and meeting the voters, The wiser ones have been keeping in touch for months with them, writing letters, supplying documents, sending out speeches and otherwise giving indications of being “on the job.” Now will come the process of the glad-hand and heart-to-heart talks. * ok ¥ % “Few people realize how hard the average ‘representative in (Congress really works down here House to this writer the other day. said a veteran member of the They may visualize us as oc- cupied merely during the sessions of the House, which last from 12 noon until 5 o'clock, and 'may say to themselves ‘pretty soft, eh?’ But attendance upon the sessions is not all. “In my own case, which is typical of many others, I work six- teen hours a day. practically. Our clerks are busy w ile we are in the House, and our own lahors are ‘often under the midnight electric light The correspondence of most members is enormous, and the conscientious man sees to it that every communication receives at- tention and respoase.” * % % % Any member of the House, almost, and some senators, will tell you that there is much of thanklessness in being a congress- man. The public is seldom grateful and is disposed to have a short memory for benefits received and of good service rendered. Service in the House and Senate means pecuniary loss in the vast majority Sometimes it of cases. that he couldn’t possibl said of a man, by way of depreciation, make $7.500 a year outside of Congress. Maybe not in some cases, but it wants to be borne in mind that a very small proportion of that sum figures on the balance side of the ledger as net profit at the end of a two vear term. The expenses of a political career are large and congressmen complain that they are increasing all the time. The average man in Congress has demands on him from all sides; he is regarded as a fair mark by hundreds of people who suppose they have a claim on him for having voted once for his nomination or election And when he comes to the end of his rope and cannot do or give any more, the applicant has a personal grievance and makes it a per- sonal issue with the harassed solon. * ok ok ok "What is the lure, then, that keeps men in Congress and urges them to make all kinds of business and family sacrifices to hold on to their places? And speaking of family sacrifices, this same member quoted above said that he has grandchildren whom he and his wife see so infrequently that it is hard to remember how they look, almost. But lure there certainly is, as shown by the prevailing disposi- tion of men to hold on once they have been in Congress. of answer to the lure, advanced by 'men who The sense and gratification of per- perimposed upon that is a natural feel- a suggestion by wa are through the mill, namely forming a public service. Here is ing of pride in the recognition by their constituents of the services rendered and objection to being “turned down.” * % ¥ X Men who have served several terms in Congress and have reached places of importance on committees, with corresponding influence on legislation, become impressed with the fact that they are rendering valuable service to their country. After awhile this realization becomes the dominating factor in their life. They know what they are accomplishing, take pride in it and want to keep at Their reward may be smallg in material ways, but in their own consciousness they find satisfaction. * % K * The judgment of some of the keenest observers and most thoughtful ‘men in the House is that the crepe-hangers who are predicting great calamities fo®the incumbents of this Congress at the polls next November are riding to a disappointment of their dismal prophecies. The indications are fhat the country bids fair to escape grave disorders growing out of prolonged nationwide strikes in the indus- trial field and that with the clearing up of labor conditions poli al ferments will abate and that by November the country will be more composed. However, a good scare in the early stages of the game may not be without its value, they say, and the continued criticism of the Congress may have served to affright to subsequent good advan- tage Washington Rapidly Shaping Up to Become Business Capital ASHINGTON, since lts foundation the seat of the United States gov- ernment, is becoming rapidly also the hub of American business. . Just as the President and the members of the cabinet meet in executive conference to determine the policies of a great natiom, heads of the country's leading financial, industrial and commer- clal organizations are favoring the National Capital as the meeting place best adapted for outlining the course of American business. * ok kK Here, in regular conventions, the fundamental steps which are des- tined to make this country the business center of the world are being planned, by men who control the activities of large agricultural, railroad, lumber, real estate, con- struction, commercial and similar interests. Ethics are defined, progress is noted, programe of work are drawn up, rehabilitation . plans are discussed; for Wash- ington, loosing the bonus of n- of the United States. - adequacy which have kept her from becoming the convention city of America, is forging to the front in the matter of housing facilities for delegations and incidental meetings. It is just as essential that there be sufficient and suitable hotel accommodations for delegates g that there be an auditorium in ‘which they may assemble and carry on deliberations. The first move, of course, was to provide the auditorium. Washington busi- ness men have started the neces- sary movement toward this end, and the oity is soon to have a convention hall with a seating capacity of 5,000 persons. * k¥ With" the hall problem virtually disposed of there arises the ques- tion, “Has Washington, in_the face of its housfng shortage, liy- ing accommodations for a sudden increment to the population such ‘a8 ‘would accompany an influx of several thousand convention delegates?” This question. apparently, is ~ (Continued on Third Page.) N SUNDAY MORNING, JULY 2, '1922. CONGRESS MEMBERS GOING Plan to Take the “Pork” Out Of Shore Naval Administration BY G. GOULD LINCOLN. ORK"—political pork with a monetary attachment — has been associated in the public mind with river and harbor appropriations and with appropriations for public buildings, contained in legis- lative and appropriation acts of Con- gress. It appears now that the Navy— not the seagoing Navy, but the man- agement on land of the Navy Depart- ment, with its hundreds of stations for this, that and the other thing—is to |occupy the limelight as a purveyor of pork. And as in the case of the rivers and harbors and public buildings “pork,” the charge will be made that members of Congress intent upon get- ting all they can for their districts in the way of federal appropriations have been the chief offenders. Senator McCormick of Tlinois, repub- lican, is leading the assault upon the distribution of “pork™ through the naval appropriations. He took a prominent parz in the debates on the Navy appro- priation bill, recently passed, which carried in the neighborhood of $300,000,- 000. calling attention to many of the items for shore stations, some of which have been increased over the appropria- tions of last v ¢ Proposal for Inquiry iInto Naval “Pork.” Finally, he introduced in the Senate a resolution providing for the appoint- ment of a ‘special joint committee of Congress to investigate the entire ques- tion of the management of the Navy ashore and the shore stations. He had no criticism to make of the manage- ment of the Navy at sea. This resolu- tion was blocked when it was presented and unanimous consideration was re- | quested by Senator Dial of South Caro- lina. It went to the Senate naval af- fairs committee. But now it is under- stood that the resolution is to be re- ported out with the approval of that committee, and that Assistant Secre- tary Roosevelt of the Navy has indi- cated that the department itself is de- sirous of having consolidations made in with shore tions, where connection they with resulting economy. With a favor- able report from the naval affairs com- mittee, it is to be expected that the resolution will he adopted by the Sen- ate and that the House will follow suit. Senator McCormick hails from one of the great middle west states. But his state contains the Great Lakes naval training station, where the men who enlist in the Navy from the interior states have gone for train- ing in the past. In years gone by it is said, approximately nalf of the recruits for the Navy havq hailed from the interior states, but recently KENNEDY. askance the BY WILL P. ONGRESS views proposal recently considered at a cabinet meeting that mem- bers of the cabinet should take unto themselves seats on the floor of Congress when specified mat- ters are under consideration. It is viewed as almost certain to undermine the basic principle of independence in the three functions of government. which in the United States have been kept distinct as in no other government. Leaders of the republican majority in Congress construe it as in direct oppo- sition to one of the pricipal pledges in the republican national platform in 1920, and those who have heard from “back home™ on this subject find the people are opposed to any intrusion of the executive branch of the government upon the legislative function. This proposal to give cabinet mem- bers seats on the floor, where they may participate in legislation, is not new. 1t has been a subject of discussion in academic circles, political conferences and legislative counsels. Recommenda- tions have been made by students of political science and government and have many times reached the stage where bills were introduced in Congress. ! But it has never been a subject of seri- jous cabinet consideration untjl recently. l Given New Importance. This cabinet consideration of the pro- posal to extend its sphere of influence, coming so close on the heels of the quite unusual (and much censured) statement of Secretary Weeks in a pub- lic address on the “low ebb” of Con- gress, reinforced by frequent complaints against the legislative branch of the I government for what is interpreted as an indifferent attitude toward the re- quests of cabinet members for additional assistance, brings the subject beyond the stage of mere speculation. Macaulay boasted in his history of England that the American system of government was borrowed from Eng- land. He asserted that there was nothing new that had not been taken from the English house of commons. Viscount Bryce was more fortunate in his comment when he pointed out the well known and recognized fact that the United States was unlike any government in history in that it maintained an independence in its three co-ordinate functions. Ours is fhe only outstanding g8v- ernment which has preserved the principle of independence in the three functions of government, recogniz- ing, as Blackstone in a classic ut- terance declared, the necessity of in- telligence to make the laws, good will to interpret them and power to enforce them—legislative, judicial and executive. While all govern- ments exercise these three function: and in that respect aré alike, the dif- ference between ‘them lies in the re- lation of these functions. Legislature Rules England. Probably no-one better qualified to ! speak the views of Congress on this can be made advantageously and ! the enlistments have fallea < from the interior states, and th~ great ma- jority of them are said to come from the men of the coast states. Mr. Mc- Cormick 1is inclined to attribute this to the fact that administration of the Navy Department has seen fit to send the men for training to. stations at Norfolk, Va., and Newport, R. I. Per- haps Senator McCormick himself is not uninfluenced by a desire to see the navdl station maintained on a large scale on the great lakes. But no matter what the motive may bé behind the action, the shore manage- ment of the Navy is likely to be gone over very carefully in ih= near fu- ture. Three Hundred Naval Stations Ashore. A few days ago Mr. McCormick had inserted in the Congressional Record a list of all the shore stations of the Navy, a list so formidable in its pro portions as to be almost staggering to the average citizen. Air stations, ammunition depots, marine barracks, naval ,bases, naval districts, naval hospitals, navy yvards, radio stations, and, in fact, every kind of station with which the Navy has to do is in- cluded in the list, which contains some 300 stations. . The contention of Senator McCor- mick and others is that there is waste in maintaining so many shore stations; that many of these stations icould be consolidated and others abandoned with a great saving to the government. And the joint commit- tee, if it is provided for by Congra will be urged to report on that phase of the matter. 5 Have No Desire To Cripple Navy. | It is not the desire of Mr. McCor- mick and other senators to cripple the Navy. But they want to be shown when it comes to the mainte- nance of all these stations. The { Washington conference on limitation of armament, with the resulting trea- ties between the great naval powers limiting the number of tonnage of capital ships and the size of auxiliary craft. was followed by a sign of re- lief and thanksgiving that the race for naval strength was to be halted. It is true that the treatics left the | United States with a stronz Nav i stronger than it had ever hal Lefore the war. But there was a hope that through the treaties it would be pos- sible to make some savings in the expenditures for the Navy. And sav- ings already have been made, in the | sense that the big building program has been halted, and the size of the |cabinet proposal for seats on the floor can be found than Representative Simeon D. Fess, just retired as chair- man of the republican congressional committee, which won an unprec- edented republican control in both branches of Congress, and who has been a lifelong student of govern- ment and the Constitution. He points out that in a despotism all three functions are exercised by the executive. In a pure democracy alt are exercised by the people. In a constitutional monarchy, like Eng- land, there is no such thing as an unconstitutional law. The power that makes the law is the only power that can set it aside. Through a gradual evolution the executive in England has lost power to the legislative. Long ago the king became a mere figurehead, as he is today, Through a serfes of years the lords gradually lost power. while the commons as gradually gained power. until today neither king nor lords has much influence in legislation. In other words, independent co-ordinate Powers exercising the three functions of government are no langer in vogue, but have generally been absorbed by the commons. Through a series of years there has developed the system of a responsi- ble ministry by which the commons vised by referendum to the people. Three Are Kept Indepepdent. Unlike any other country, the very genius of the American system is a jealous respect for the strict inde- Pendence of the three co-ordinate de- partments, Representative Fess em- phasizes. They are separate in char- acter of duty, in actual organization and in practical administration. The legislative department does not inter- fere with the executive in his func- tion to enforce the laws made by Con- gress in co-operation with the Presi- dent in his signing or vetoing the same. The executive does neither di- rect nor interfere with the proper legislative function in making the laws which he Is to enforce, save his signature and veto power, which may be overridden by the lawmaking body. The Constitution does authorize, if not direct, him to give from time to time information upon which legis- lation is to be based. The Supreme Court does not inter- fere with either the legislative or executive in the exercise of the func- tions of each. It does not even give in advance opinions on the constitu- tionality of proposed legislation. Its function is that of an independent co- ordinate department of the govern- ment. to interpret the laws of Con- gress. This was its function from its very inception. From time to time fugitive , assaults have been made upon the independence of the judici- ary as an element of danger. This is| ‘contrary to the ome feature which distinguishes the American system from all others'and is believed to be the basis of our respect for law which is the sheet anchor of our liberties. may be prorogued and its decision re- | avy personnel has been cut dowr But the pruning hook must taia upon the shore stations, too, it 1s oW contended. Again it i{s emphasized that it i= not the desire of the supporters of this move for economy in adminis- tration to hamstring the Navy. Thex believe in the Navy, and Mr. Me( mick has so indicated many times by his votes in the Senate. States Wanted to Keep Their Army Posts. Years ago, when the Indians |thronged the frontiers of the coun- ‘!ry. Army posts were established in |many places. After the Indians had been deflrnytd‘ or rounded up and placed on reservations, the states in which these posts were located still clung to them. It was a way to get some of the federal appropriations Members of Congress were slow to admit these posts not needed. There have been controversies in the past. too, as to tHe navy yards of the country, and much rivalry between the coast states as to where these vards should be located. At present along the Atlantic coast from Key West to Kittery Point the states are dotted with ammunition depots, guarded by marines, torpedo stations, navy yards and other naval stations North Carolina is an exception, it is said, in this list of constituencies {having naval stations. Many such stations are found the length of the Pacific coast also. The committees on naval affairs of the Senate and House are for the most part made up of men who come from the coa states, and hot unnaturally they do not like to have the naval stations their districts and states disturbed. Great Navy Yards Must Be Matntained. It is not to be expected that the Navy can do away with the great Inavy vards which have heen con- structed at Boston, Philadelphia, Washington and el<ewhere The must be maintained if there is to be a navy. But the myriad of naval stations along the coast can well be reduced, it is said, and the activities. if needed, consolidated about the larger yards and depots Nor is it to be expected that the naval “appropriations for the United | States will be reduced now to a lure comparable with the approprt tions before the war, in view of t size of the Navy which the coun is to maintain under the treaty agreements—when they are ratified by all the nations. But it must bhe remembered that in 1913 the appro- priations totaled $123,000,000 and ir 1916 only $149,000.000, or one-half what they are for the next fiscal year. Seats in Congress for the Cabinet Not a Popular Idea on Capito! Hill Representative Fess calls attentinn | that “any movement to break down |an independent judiciary to make i i subservient to any interest would be tantamount to its abolition, o f its function in our svstem of goverr ment goes." Encroachments by Executives. He recalls that for years there ha been a tendency to extend executive function over the legisiative. In war time this is inevitable and need not be looked upon as significant But {this tendency has not been confined to time of war. Cleveland tooh longer steps than any of his prede- cessors in peace time. This was fol- lowed by Roosevelt, who did not hesi tate to use what w commonly known as “the big stick “But no man ever approached the extent to which Wilson went even before the opening of the world war. It principle with him and not mereiy incidental,” according to Represent tive Fess. He sees In this a “stop. look and listen” sign of danger ahead for those of the republican leadership who are giving the proposal for cabinet seats in Congress the recognition of cabinet consideration. He points out that this attempted executive control of the legislative branch, popular with much of the press of the coun- try. especially the “Wilson pre: s went so far lhfll‘il became a domi ant thought of the country and w the leading plank in the republican national platform in 1920, as follow “We undertake to end executive lautocracy and restore to the people | their constitutional . government. was Confusing to Party Leaders. Then Representative Fess— whose counsel is sought and given unusuai weight in party matters—says: “Tn the light of this pledge and the un- controverted verdict by the people, jwe read with some confusion a state- ment -from a cabinet member refer- ring to the President taking charge of the direction of legislation.” He explains that it has ever been the practice for the executive to give information, by messages written or spoken, or by letters to chairmen of j committees, or in conferences with {leaders, on matters of legislation. ‘Even this practice, especially in | writing letters on legislation at the { behest of a cabinet member or a bu- I reau chief to a member of the legi lative branch, is losing its prior force. The official recognition of the su gestion of cabinet members that they be given seats in the two chambers will doubtless receive further &tten- tion. It will be considered in the light of the present tendencies.” As indicating the reluctance of Congress to change the furldamental principles of this government, Rep- resegtative Fess says: “It isa perti- nent question to ask how far from the moorings of our founding prin- ciples can we safely sail? As Lincoln jonce said: ‘We should accept new views when they are true views' That should be our guide in our cor sideration of the new proposals for | further extending executive influence oysr:ihs legislative function.” »