The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-04-11
REASON
FOR BUREAU CHANGE,
NOT POLITICS, BELIEF
ny MARK SULLIVAN

WASHINGTON, April lit is fair
TO wonder whether the country far
from Washington is as excited about
the civil service as Washington itself
Is.
Washington keeps up the talk for
two reasons one is that this is the
home of some hundreds of thousands
of civil servants. and with them the
topic is closely related to bread and
butter.
The second reason is that the Dem
ocrats think they see a campaign is
sue in it. At least some of the Dem
ocrats see it this way.
From other Democratic quarters,
quarters somewhat more elevated.
there has lately come an admonition
that the Democrats must find a big is
sue and drop the practice of picking
up one small issue after another.
Undoubtedly the dismissal of a
large group of rather important and
relatively highly paid civil servants
by President Harding personally was
done in a manner nothing less than
brusque and peremptory. Whether
anything will come out later on to
justify these methods remains to be
seen.
Reason is Seen.
Most competent judges believe the
present investigation into the depart
ment from which these civil servants
were removed will show adequate rea
son for the action taken by the presi
dent
Mr. Harding is about the last man
10 act in so brusuue a manner ~ith
out good cause. Everybody who list.
ems to Harding talk observes that such
words as becoming" proper" anc
fitting" and "the proprieties" appear
in his vocabulary with emphatic fre
quency. They reflect Hardings point
of view about his relations with other
human beings. He is not a man tc
blow up" without cause.
Harding a Patient Man
There are stories about Washington
10 the effect that on few occasions
since he has been president, Mr.. Hard
ing has shown strong feeling in finally
putting over a program determined
upon. But he has only done so after
a degree of patience so prolonged az
to make it clear to everybody tha'
the methods of patience and gentle
ness would not carry the program
through
Nineteen times out of twenty i
seems to be fixed principle witt
Harding to go the limit of patience
Some of his former associates sa,
that when he was editing the Marion
Star. and was moved to write some
thing in strong feeling. it was fire
quently his way to put the manuscript
in his desk over night and then no
print it. On at least one occasion
since he has been president he is saiC
10 have followed an analogous cours,
about a letter which he was moved Il
write at moment of feeling.
Was Deeply Moved
All in all it is incredible that Pres
ident Harding should have dismissed
these civil servants in just the wa,
he did without having had enough
contract with the situation to b.
deeply moved by it, and without feel
ing sure that the subsequent investi
cation would justify him.
That these particular removals wer
made for the purpose of giving jobs t
Republicans cannot be argued success
fully. If the motive were to "sli
something over on the civil servic
it would have been done with the de
liberateness of guile.
There is strong feeling on the par
Of many business men who have re
Gently come into the government t
the effect that many of the higher ot
ficials of bureaus should not be within
the civil service. but should be within
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