Evening star., 1921-07-25
APP0RT|0NMENT
OF OFFICES LAW

Peace; Helpful to Nobody.
Editorial Correspondence Of The Star.
THEODORE w. MOVES.
The apportionment of offices law,
which distributes the classified serV-
ice offices like bandit spoils among
the 'states in proportion to their
population strength, has during the
war and reconstruction periods dem
onstrated doubly it's viciousness; first
when the human-Service machinery
was being enlarged and developed
to high efficiency in order that we
might surely and quickly bring VIC
tory in the world struggle; and now.
when the vastly expanded war-serV-
ice force is being reduced to the
peace basis.
Lnw Failure In Wartime.
Heavy additional wartime labors at
the capital called for more and more
civilian Americans to do this essen.
tial work What was the natural
labor source of supply to meet TINS
the local source, the Americans near
est at hand, the Americans already
locally housed and acquainted with
local conditions and facilities. which
enabled them to live here more
cheaply So far as additional war
workers in the classified service were
concerned, in what condition dld
Uncle Sam as an employer find him
self? Under strict construction ana
rigid> enforcement of the apportion-
ment of offices law the use of the local
source of classified labor supply was
prohibited, since the Districts quota
of the office spoils has long ago been
exhausted.
Under these circumstances the gov
ernment invited multitude OF un-
trained workers from all over the
United States to come to Washington
to do this work. They came in un-
necessarily large numbers, so that
there were not sufficient dwellings,
or suitable rooms to house the multi
tude.
Law Necessarily Suspended.
But Uncle Sam, finding himself
crippled by this unwise, hurtful, un-
businesslike law in the campaign for
efficiency in war preparedness, IN
effect suspended the law in the war
industries during the war emergency
Now, when the time has come to
reduce the classified service force TO
the peace basis, attention is called to
the fact that the District and the
nearby states have more than their
quota Of the official "spoils." and de-
mand is made that the law which
crippled the government IN ouildins
up it's war force and had to be dls-
regarded to secure efficiency shouid
now be applied by the government
with a like crippling effect in reduc.
ing the war force to the point or
minimum numbers and maximum efff-
cheney. I1ut the law fs as vicious In
principle and hurtfui i'm practice l"
pence time aS In war.
If the District had not sent its sons
to war like the states, but had kept
them safely at home to monopollZe
the governments civilian employ
ments. there would be basis for the
suggestion that the cutting down
process should begin with 1t and
should continue until only its quota
remained. But the District sent more
soldiers to camp and to Europe than
seven states. and in percentage of
the total force who were volunteers
it surpassed forty-three of the states.
The District has, more than its
quota" of the classified service be-
cause in meeting the governments
need for Americans to do this neces-
sary work it's men and women have
more efficient.
LAW Vicious in Both War and Peace.
Az in building up the war force the
law had to be dinregnrded in order
thnt the government might be
efficiently served and the war won, SO
in shaping the permanent peace
forces, If efficiency Is to be the aim,
the law must be similarly dfsregarded.
AS in the war, the most efficient and
the most available. irrespective of the
state from which they hailed. had to
be appointed in order that the govern
ment might be best served, so in the
Of peace time, the least
efficient should be first dropped, ire
spective of the section or state which
claims them.
This law is more honored in the
breach than in the observance. 1t
should either be construed out Of
existence or it should be repealed
outright.
National offices should, in the in
teRest of efficiency, under a genuine
merit system. be open to the most
American applicants, ir-
of their residence in a
particular state or territory or the
District of Columbia.
Both to Capital and Nation.
Uncle Sam, while wisely suspending
the law in war for his own (the
benefit. has doubtless learn
ed from his war observation and ex-
perience how wickedly discriminate
ing, inequitable and injurious it is at
all times to the unrepresented and
helpless people of the capital COM
The consistent policy of Congress,
as state and city legislature for the
capital. has been to discourage local
factories and industrial plants and
in effect. to prohibit all manufa ctur-
government. like the government
printing office. the bureau of en-
craving and printing and all the
great government departments which
to the industrial plants
Of other American cities. Having
thus monopolized the most important
Of the Districts national-local in
dustries, the government, under the
of offices law, in effect
prohibits the employment in these
industries of Washingtonians.
Must Go Abroad to Get Work Mt Home
1t compels a showing of residence
outside the District to get this 'em-
ployment in the District. It requires
the Washingtonian to exile himself
and secure residence abroad in order
to get this kind of work at home
In three ways this unjust law
blocks development of the capital
from camp. of transients
munity, with civic loyalty and civic
pride.
First, 1t Ndeprives the youth OF the
city Of local means OF self-support.
1t Furnishes legal permanent residence
here by this discriminating depriva-