The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-04-15
The Shake-Up At the Bureau
of Engraving.

The political, viewpoint OF the
newspaper was reflected almost eA-
cIusively in the editorial discussion
OF President Harding's action IN
removing departmental chiefs IN
his recent reorganization, by ex-
ecutive order, of the bureau OF en-
craving and printing. Democratic
editors, as might be expected,
viewed with alarm" while their
Republican associates endorsed the
action as in the interest OF EN-
cheney in the public service"
Through a great many of the edf-
torials, however, ran a seriously
expressed hope that this action
should not be a forerunner OF a
revival of the "spoils system IN
the government service.
1T is unfortunate" in the opin-
ion of the Salt Lake City Deseree
News Cnd.), that embarrassment,
Inconvenience, and perhaps actuai
hardship should have to fall upon
the men who were removed. some
times such a development is neces-
sary. literally and truly. for the
good of the service. Still, the
very manner of the changes leads
the New York Evening Post tlnd)
to wonder whether it actually does
not mean that the spoils system is
coming back" In the viewpoint OF
the editor of the Johnstown, Pa,
Democrat DemJ, his fellow Dem
ocrats get little sympathy from
him for objecting. He frankly de,
clares that in his opinion President
Wilson waited too long TO remove
many Republicans from office and
adds that the Republicans are
fully entitled to have a working
force all along the line on which
they can depend for sympathetic
cooperation" Which brings from
the Charleston, S. c., News and
Courier DEM the remark that
Down with the spoilsmen' Will
be an effective battle cry TOR the
Democrats in the fall elections"
Most of the governmental depart
ments are greatly over-manned and
wholesale dismissals might be for
the good of the entire country, Is
the opinion expressed by the Bos-
ton Transcript Und. Rep. 1t frank
" endorses the belief that the civil
service is not an eleemosynary in
stitution any more than it is prey
for craftsmanship" and insists thai
efficiency, after all, should be the
test OF retaining persons in the gov
eminent service" The Knoxville
Sentinel 0nd. Dem) sees no de-
tense for the removals. character
izing them as an incident thai
fairly vies with the Russian exam
pie. though lacking the revolution
airy and desperate need that con
fronted the Russian usurpers, tt
destroy the old stable system OF
organized government" And the
Rochester, n. Y, Times Unior
GndD protests against character
ization of the executive order as
being on the ground of efficiency
lin order to disguise the politica
motive by slandering the dismissed
man" Or, as the Newark, n. j.
, News 0nd) puts it, while the pres
, ident is sadly in need of sympath!
in government departments there
is a question whether he is no
playing with fire. and the syria
cuse, n. Y, Herald Qnd) adds tina
eff the civil service bars are to b.
let down for the benefit of ever
worthy office seeker with a pull
we do not see that anyone car
/ block the game. but the players
should at least shelve the 'efficien
/ cy' excuse"
There is general demand
throughout the country that there
be a complete explanation for thu
action of the president" the New
York Globe Gnd.) believes, and
declares the Republican majorit.
owes it to the president and to The
, party to remove the cloud of sus
picion and fear which this arbi
trary act engendered. To which
the Springfield Republican add
that if the change was made as {
result of the Investigations of A
r. Barnes, an associate OF Genera
| Dawes, there would seem to be IL
good reason why the report shoulC
not be made public forthwith" TIT
New York World (Dem) believes
that in view of all of the Turmoil
! that he has created why does no
President Harding speak for him
self"" and tell the reason why b.
acted, while the New York Times
tInd- DEM suggests that possibl.
the president was imposed upon b!
/ others and hopes that, IF his ex
ecutiye order was wheedled out o
him and cannot be explained or de
! Tended, it ought at least to be tn,
! last OF the kind"