﻿FBB. 
  19, 
  1922 
  brooks: 
  the 
  scientist 
  in 
  the 
  federal 
  service 
  89 
  

  

  comply 
  with 
  the 
  law, 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  now 
  held 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  end 
  but 
  only 
  a 
  

   means 
  to 
  an 
  end. 
  

  

  Many 
  a 
  scientist, 
  however, 
  still 
  believes 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  been 
  singled 
  

   out 
  as 
  of 
  proved 
  dishonesty 
  because 
  some 
  official 
  has 
  directed 
  his 
  atten- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  an 
  infraction 
  of 
  jthe 
  law. 
  He 
  does 
  not 
  see 
  either 
  that 
  close 
  regula- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  Federal 
  disbursements 
  aggregating 
  billions 
  of 
  dollars 
  is 
  neces- 
  

   sary 
  or 
  that 
  the 
  legal 
  safeguards 
  must 
  apply 
  to 
  small 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  large 
  

   transactions. 
  Indeed, 
  many 
  scientists 
  are 
  ignorant 
  of 
  the 
  principle 
  

   of 
  all 
  fiscal 
  regulations, 
  namely, 
  that 
  the 
  law 
  holds 
  all 
  Government 
  

   moneys 
  to 
  be 
  trust 
  funds. 
  The 
  law 
  also 
  provides 
  that 
  every 
  trustee 
  

   must 
  be 
  able 
  at 
  all 
  times 
  to 
  submit 
  documentary 
  proof 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  

   not 
  stolen 
  the 
  funds 
  in 
  his 
  custodianship. 
  Therefore, 
  upon 
  every 
  

   Federal 
  employee 
  who 
  handles 
  public 
  funds 
  or 
  involves 
  the 
  Govern- 
  

   ment 
  in 
  liabilities 
  rests 
  the 
  burden 
  of 
  proof 
  that 
  his 
  trusteeship 
  has 
  

   been 
  honestly 
  administered. 
  Evidently 
  all 
  purchases 
  are 
  governed 
  

   by 
  the 
  same 
  principle, 
  and 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  competitive 
  bids 
  is 
  to 
  pre- 
  

   vent 
  dishonest 
  connivance 
  between 
  the 
  seller 
  and 
  the 
  Government 
  

   agent. 
  

  

  Certain 
  scientists 
  regard 
  the 
  limitations 
  placed 
  on 
  their 
  fiscal 
  

   operations 
  as 
  a 
  personal 
  insult 
  and 
  an 
  attempt 
  by 
  a 
  bureau 
  chief 
  to 
  

   assert 
  his 
  authority. 
  To 
  them 
  fiscal 
  regulations 
  have 
  no 
  purpose 
  

   except 
  to 
  hamper 
  research, 
  and 
  they 
  never 
  come 
  to 
  understand 
  that 
  a 
  

   regulation 
  is 
  nothing 
  but 
  an 
  interpretation 
  of 
  the 
  law. 
  If 
  these 
  men 
  

   would 
  master 
  the 
  basal 
  principle 
  of 
  Federal 
  accounting 
  and 
  the 
  simple 
  

   methods 
  they 
  are 
  called 
  upon 
  to 
  use 
  they 
  could 
  command 
  more 
  time 
  

   for 
  their 
  own 
  work. 
  

  

  The 
  fiscal 
  regulations 
  are 
  particularly 
  irksome 
  to 
  those 
  whp 
  re- 
  

   member 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  but 
  loosely 
  enforced 
  in 
  the 
  scientific 
  

   bureaus. 
  In 
  those 
  good 
  old 
  days 
  scientists 
  and 
  sometimes 
  even 
  bureau 
  

   chiefs 
  gloried 
  in 
  successful 
  attempts 
  to 
  evade 
  the 
  law, 
  or 
  in 
  what 
  

   may 
  be 
  termed 
  "putting 
  one 
  over." 
  Such 
  practices 
  resulted 
  only 
  

   in 
  more 
  stringent 
  laws 
  and 
  interpretations. 
  It 
  is 
  quite 
  likely 
  that 
  

   Federal 
  auditors 
  have 
  blacklisted 
  individuals 
  and 
  even 
  certain 
  bureaus 
  

   that 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  attempting 
  to 
  evade 
  the 
  law, 
  and 
  that 
  their 
  

   vouchers 
  receive 
  a 
  specially 
  searching 
  scrutiny. 
  

  

  Yet 
  there 
  is 
  certainly 
  room 
  for 
  improvement 
  in 
  the 
  laws 
  governing 
  

   Federal 
  disbursements, 
  as 
  for 
  example, 
  in 
  the 
  restriction 
  placed 
  on 
  

   the 
  use 
  of 
  automobiles. 
  It 
  seems 
  beyond 
  human 
  knowledge 
  to 
  

   understand 
  why 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  horse-drawn 
  vehicles 
  is 
  unlimited, 
  while 
  

   that 
  of 
  automobiles 
  is 
  closely 
  restricted. 
  It 
  is 
  as 
  if 
  Federal 
  trans- 
  

  

  