UNITED STATES HISTORY m 



The public conscience has also been much exercised over the prevalence of prostitu- 

 tion. In a number of cities careful investigations have been made, notably in Chicago 

 where a commission has reported that there are more than a thousand nouses of ill- 

 fame with an income of $16,000,000. Congress, in 1910, passed a law which makes the 

 transportation of women for immoral purposes a felony. Half the states have passed 

 laws to combat the " White Slave " traffic. 



Conservation in government is efficiency. This has been notoriously lacking in the 

 United States. For example, it was stated by Senator Aldrich that the loose methods 

 of the Federal government wasted $300,000,000 every year. To remedy 

 this, President Taft appointed in December 1910 an Economy and 

 Efficiency Commission, which investigated the organisation and accounting 

 systems of the departments. One of their recommendations, that the President should 

 submit an annual budget to Congress, met with anything but a kindly reception among 

 those numerous Congressmen who profit politically by the wasteful diversion of public 

 moneys. Accordingly, in 1912, they reduced the salaries of the commissioners and 

 provided in another bill that only the usual departmental estimates should be sub- 

 mitted. President Taft, however, took a different view of his powers; and he made 

 known his intention of sending his budget to Congress at the opening of the regular 

 session. (See Finance above.) He showed the same commendable zeal in the improve- 

 ment of the civil service. In several messages he urged that practically the entire 

 Federal service, with the exception of the cabinet officers and their assistants, should be 

 placed in the competitive classified list; and in October, 1912, he classified all unclassified 

 fourth-class post-masters and in December many. skilled labourers in navy-yards. 

 By courageous use of the veto he prevented Congress from limiting the civil service 

 tenure to seven years. Throughout the country there were marked advances in civil 

 service reform during 1912, not only in the adoption of the merit system, but in the 

 recognition of the importance of taking higher administrative officers out of politics. 

 Not less worthy of notice is the founding of numerous legislative reference bureaus and 

 bureaus of municipal research. In New York, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and other 

 large cities the methods of public accounting have been transformed; and the most 

 modern business practices have been introduced into the departments. 



The increased efficiency of the Federal government is illustrated by the fact that 

 the chronic deficit in the post-office department x has been stopped and that Congress 

 ch t has been willing to entrust new functions to it. In 1910, a system of 

 the Post- postal savings banks was established (see E. B. xxii, 196), such post-offices 

 Office as a board of trustees may indicate paying two per cent on deposits of 



epar men . f rom | x to $^ OO) or giving in exchange for the deposits government bonds 

 which bear two and a half per cent interest. The trustees may place moneys in state 

 and national banks under guarantee of certain prescribed securities. Put gradually 

 into operation, the system has worked splendidly. In May 1912 a limited parcel post 

 for rural and city delivery routes was established, effective January i, 1913. The 

 maximum weight is eleven pounds; and the charges, beginning with five cents for the 

 first and one cent for each additional pound, vary with the distance. A large discretion 

 in modifying the original regulations is left with the Postmaster-General acting under 

 the control of the Interstate Commerce Commission. Agitation for the parcel post 

 has been largely due to the excessive charges made by the express companies. In 

 July, 1912, however, the Interstate Commerce Commission ordered a reduction of about 

 fifteen per cent, particularly affecting parcels under twelve pounds. 



A few phases of American foreign relations deserve attention. In August 1911, as 



1 Many improvements in this department were due to the postmaster-general, Frank 

 Harris Hitchcock (b. 1867), who graduated at Harvard in 1891, was admitted to the bar 

 in 1894, and was 1st assistant postmaster-general in 1905-08. He managed Taft's presiden- 

 tial campaign in 1908 and was chairman of the Republican National Committee in 1908-09. 

 Hitchcocks efforts to increase postal rates on periodicals brought on him and on the admin- 

 istration the sharp criticism of many popular and influential periodicals. The introduction of 

 the parcel-post system was opposed by the powerful express companies. 



