Evening star., 1922-04-06
BUREAU CHANGES
/ LAID TO 1920 VOTE
Republicans Starting Delayed
HousecIeaning, Cabinet
Member Declares.
nv nAVTD LAWRENCE
BY DAVID LAWRENCE

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
There's no longer any secret about
the reason for the abrupt dismissal of
a score of bureau chiefs and employees
of the bureau of printing and en-
craving, despite their status under
the civil service.
One influential member Of the cab
met when asked what brought about
the upheaval has just told inquirers
that if they would examine carefully
the vote in the last presidential cleo
tion they would discover the answer.
AS for the impression that irregular
tiles occurred in the bureau SO seri-
Gus as to require summary removal OF
a number of trusted employees, the
record now has been cleared by a
statement from President Harding
himself to the effect that no charges
were on file against the dismissed en-
ployes.
Faithful Are Reminding.
The administration, according to its
leading spokesmen. was commanded
by the last election to clean house.
1t has been too busy getting acquaint-
ed with larger problems of govern
ment to attend to personnel before
this One year has gone by and the
faithful in the party ranks are re-
minding the administration through
mem mbers of Congress daily that the
personnel question must not De neg
lected any longer.
Danger I'm Isolated Cases.
Cabinet officers justify their action
in removing even those covered under
civil service by the argument that
democrats have done the same thing
in the past. "Since when have the
democrats become SO virtuous?' is the
retolt of the republican aoihlhistia
tion.
The danger in the situation, how
ever, is that the republicans are tax
ing some isolated cases of the pre-
vious administration as a precedent
and that the next time oemocra'ic
administration comes into power it
probably will take the present bureau
of engraving and printing episode as
absolute justification for even more
extensive changes.
Swing of the Pendulum.
Some day the democrats will turn
us all out-and we won't whimper,"
said a high administration official to-
day.
Politically speaking. the democrats
are privately not perturbed about
the republican housekeeping, though
they will. of course, make as much
capital out of it as they can. They
realize that political parties thrive
on the opportunities offered to job
seekers, and that stimulus is gwen
to party workers by the prospect OF
getting government positions il tlei-
party is triumphant at TIE polls.
The political class. which is BIZ
F! ing for years to break down the merit
system. and to make as many jobs as
possible free from civil service re-
strictions. The excuse for removals
! is always greater efficiency. but
! the government has no commission OF
board which can establish definitely
whether a worker is efficient or not
Usually the recommendations of po-
litical Investigators are accepted as
final.
Phrases Banded About.
The republican policy of efficiency
is not very much different from tina,
of the democrats. Such phrases as
| "in the interest of the service" are
banded about by both democrats and
! republicans, when they really mean
efficient republicans and efficient
democrats.
Efforts of the democratic members OF
Congress to start an investigation nave
failed. The republican majority will
prevent it. So would the democrats II
upper and neither millstones of party
politics the government service is being
opened to the job hunters The assur-
ance that employees OF ten or hfteen
years standing have hitherto had OF
some degree of permanency now is be-
ing removed by gradual steps. Admin
istration officials insist that the civil
service system is wrong, that It leads TO
inefficiency because government work
ers easily get into a rut. To correct
this there have been many proposals for
an efficiency board or commission, 6y
which the merit of an employe could be
tested.
Changes Can BE Expected.
Ample opportunity would be afford
ed the employe to learn Of his possi-
BILE removal for reasons of efficiency,
and, it is contended, this would act
as a stimulus and produce efficiency.
Such a board or commission, however,
would tend to preserve in office the
government employees of past admin
istrations. Perhaps at the end of the
renublican administration there will
be the same kind of an attempt to
make permanent the status of their
followers as the democrats have at
tempted in the past. Between now
and the next presidential elections.
however, numerous changes can be
exnected in government personnel.
IT is unlikely that the administration
will again make such dramatic
! move as in the case of the bureau of
nrinting and engraving. Dismissals
will be one by one, when their re-
The civil service system Is suffering
its worst defeat in a generation.
Copyright. 1927