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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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its executive committee. There were these rumors that somebody had helped him to improve his economic status and that he was somehow or other better off than he would have been if he hadn't known all these people, which of course is just the way of friendship. That was all he had to say about it.

He was, I thought myself, slightly naive because he went out of his way at least once to explain to me and to tell me how good MacVeagh had been to him and to his children, and how much he valued Mr. MacVeagh's advice about life in general, particular problems and so forth. My memory is that MacVeagh died before he did. John Mitchell died in office, though I forget the year. I was then a member of the Industrial Commission.

I got to know him quite well because we had to face certain problems. I was very insistent that the Commissioners go and do in person some of the things that the law said we should do. It had been customary to delegate all these functions to this, that or the other bureau and subordinates. To this day I do not think well of the project so often recommended by scientific managers of delegating authority too far. It results in public life, I think, in protective delegation of authority, so that the people who have really assumed the leadership in the organization and have been





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