Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-07-19

ton starr
WASHINGTON, July 19.-Now
approach the anxious days for the
great army of federal ofice holders
in Washington. and in fact the coun-
try at large. Changes portend in Of
fclal personnel and tenure OF o.Jee
is threatened. Whether the Demo-
Gratis or Republicans carry the cleo
tons in November, there will of
necessity be shifting in high places
and to an extent in lesser offices.
too.
Naturally. IL the Republicans win,
there will be a clean sweep in the
more important offices and In hun
dreds of othrs, not now covered by
civil service relations. II the Demo-
ocats succeed, the new administra-
tion will want to be surrounded by
it's friends and will be called upon to
reward the faithful and patronage.
AS soon as the new president is
sworn in, it is customary for the
cabinet to tender designations, and
assistant secretaries heads of bu-
reaus and executives of commissions
and boards without number stand
ready to accept a hint that resigna-
lions would be acceptable.
Eight years of continuous hold of
public office, enjoyed by the 'ins'
admonish that the time is close at
hand when they must consider the
possibility of being among the
outs" During those eight years the
number of Offices to be filled has in
creased amazingly. The patronage
whether it be Republican or Demo-
cratic, will constitute a price more
fabulous in value than the riches
Ind. Old Croesus himself would have
been staggered by the total of the
emoluments involved.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
salaries attached to federal Offices
have lamentably failed to approx
innate anywhere ear the Increased
cost of living, and the dollar of sal
airy has steadily diminished the
purchasing power, the holders of Of
flee evidence a desire to hold on.
Perhaps some of them are in the
condition of the men who had the
bears tail-afraid to let go. They
couldn't let go, for they needed the
money. Probably the controlling
reason for insisting upon retention,
public life, the attraction of resi-
.ence in the national capital. the
of being in the midst of great
events and associated with big things
in the doing and with big men.
Occasionally an official at the top
drops out to better his financial con-
dition, allured by some dazzling OFFER
salary whose pecuniary value out
the tinsel of public life. Thus
did Secretary McAdoo, and Secretary
Lane. They had all the glory there
was in 1t, and then sought more sub
rewards in private business.
Another class of public officials
Office and hold it until they fit
themselves, or acquire regulations of
become specialists, for priv
ate employment. For years, the
treasury department has been the
doorway opening into lucrative en-
ployment in big banks in New York,
Chicago and the great financial CEN
tiers. Some of the scientific bureaus
Of the government train men only to
them taken over at large sal
aries by big industrial firms.
Uncle Sam is VIGOROUSLY a mig
gardly paymaster n his employees
are ever on the watch for lettering
their condition. In the technical
and scientific bureaus, If a $4,000
employee makes a reputation, 1t is
not long before some big concern,
which thinks in terms of millions in
business, grabs him off at a $25,OOO
to start with.
Those cases are relatively few,
compared with the many thousands
of office holders who do not find an
and who in fact are content to
along with Uncle Sam, because
the pay If not large is as. John
Allen, of Tupelo used to say, power
full regular"
Now even that regularity is to be
threatened as the tenure of office
itself is menaced by the charges of
politics. A partial change of admin
istration, that is to say. merely the
shifting of men at the head, but of
the same party, will dislocate the
government personnel. A complete
change, the turning out of one party
and the coming in of another, will
work next to a revolution in holders
of offices with attractive salaries.
OF curse, it is not as it was in the
old days of the spoilsmen, when
the motto was exploited frankly to
ito the victor belong the spoils"
and even the holders of $1,000 jobs
and upwards were not immune from
the axe. Those were indeed parlous
times, we'll within the recollection
of the present generation of office
holders. But at that, the End of No.
vember will be awaited by many an
anxious soul on Uncle Sans pay
roll