ANNUAL ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. XLV 
particular subject or subjects to which it relates. This last has very 
properly much weight; in fact, it has much more weight than one 
might suppose, if he judged from some criticisms made upon the work 
of some of our bureaus whose work is more or less scientific. In these 
criticisms it is urged that the work has not been properly planned and 
correlated; that it should not be left within the power of one man to 
say what should be done; that the plans for work should be prepared 
by disinterested scientific men—as, for instance, by a committee of 
the National Academy—and that the function of the bureau official 
should be executive only. 
I have seen a good deal of this kind of literature within the last 
ten or twelve years, and some of the authors of it are very distin- 
guished men in scientific work; yet I venture to question the wis- 
dom of such suggestions. As a rule, the plans for any extended 
scientific work to be undertaken by a Government department are 
the result of very extended consultations with specialists, and meet 
with the approval of the majority of them. Were it otherwise the 
difficulties in obtaining regular annual appropriations for such work 
would be great and cumulative, for in a short time the disapproval 
of the majority of the scientific public would make itself felt in 
Congress. It is true that the vis inertia of an established bureau 
is very great. The heads of Departments change with each new 
administration, but the heads of bureaus remain; and if an unfit 
man succeeds in obtaining one of these positions, it is a matter 
of great difficulty to displace him; but it seems to me to be wiser to 
direct the main effort to getting right men in right places rather 
than to attempt to elaborate a system which shall give good results 
with inferior men as the executive agents, which attempt is a waste 
of energy. 
You are all familiar with the results of the inquiry which has 
been made by a Congressional committee into the organization and 
work of certain bureaus which are especially connected with scien- 
tific interests, and with the different opinions which this inquiry has 
brought out from scientific men. I think that the conclusion of the 
majority of the committee, that the work is, on the whole, being 
well done, and that the people are getting the worth of their money, 
is generally assented to. True, some mistakes have ‘been made, 
some force has been wasted, some officials have not given satisfac- 
tion; but is it probable that any other system would give so much 
better results that it is wise to run the risks of change? 
