The Washington times., 1920-09-28
MAKES PLEA
FOR WORKERS
Head of Federal Union Says
Employees Are Political
Footballs.

To put over" the basic idea OF re-
classification will require nation
wide campaign OF education, declared
Luther c, Steward. president OF the
Federal Employees Union, upon his re-
turn from "A four weeks trip through
the middle-west today.
The Federal employees are being
made the. football OF politics, ne
stated. They are the victims OF an
intoIerable situation. They are Sian
dered and lackguarded by both sides
When other campaign material runs
low, spell binders are always on safe'
familiar ground when they ridicule
the civil service workers. IL has De-
como the most popular OF polltical
sports.
"When a Republican makes a wild
cry that SOC, 900 Federal employees
ought to be 'nred' because they are
parasites and slackers, some Demo
crat can be found to echo the senti-
ment and go IL one better. IL In re-
sarded as good stun for the puoiic
and as incontrovertible PROOF that the
parties stand for efficiency and BUS
mess methods in running the govern
ment."
URGES NATIONAL EFFORT.
President Steward points out that
TO counteract all of the evil eftects
of such misrepresentation to the
American public is task which
necessarily must precede the gain
ing OF solid support for the reclassi-
ncstion proposal now before Con-
gress. He favors an intensive cam
paign of education which VIII con-
centrate upon the necessity OF re-
classification at an early date.
I'VE are going to push reclassinca-
tion at the short session of Congress,
he stated. 1--WE will keep after 1t
until IL finally gets across"
The Federal Employees Union oin-
cials strongly resent intimations that
the non-partisan character OF their
organization has been subVerted py
inner influences, and particularly the
nubIisbed reports that, the recent con-
yention at st. Louis had under con-
sideration a proposal to come out IN
open espousal of Governor Cox ana
the Democratic platform. They re-
gard these reports as extremely harm-
fui to their cause, inasmuch as tne
continued morale and prestige OF the
union depends upon its freedom from
political control.
The unions policy in the present
Presidential campaign is to center all
energies upon the program OF re
assifcatiOn, to mODlilZe suppoTt AOi
this program everywhere, and TO
make il a major issue Of the coming
Congress.
PRAISES 4. 8. EMPLOYEES.
"our initial task ought to be TO
show the country that the civil serv-
ice worker is worthy public serV-
mt declares MIR. Steward. He does
not get his job through politics,
ought not to depend or TO be forced
to depend on politics to hold 1t, and
ought to be protected against the kind
of wild attack which is made more or
less continuously against him, but
which reaches its height in a Presi-
Dental campaign. IL the nation wants
the work of Its Government well
done, il ought to take more thought
of the men and women who do its
work.
TT may be that a few ineffcients
and incompetents, mainly held in
place by political pull. have brought
the Federal service into disrepute
with many well-meaning people, but
the country ought to know that the
great bulk of its Federal employees
are hard-working, honest folks VINO
are getting just trifle tired or oeN
ing. slandered and misrepresented.
THE civil service worker has to
protect himself. No one else is go
ing to do IL for him"