The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-04-04


Sweeping Out of Democrats - Posi-
bic Engravers VIII Make Test Case
Claim President Gave No Written
Charges.
/ BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
! Especial Despatch to The RefOrmer.)
/ Copyright 1922.
/ WASHINGTON, April A crisis
has come in the everlasting struggle be-
tween the civil service system and the
! spoil system.
] When Attorney General Daugherty
! told the house committee ON appropria-
tons that he frankly favored filling
government offices witlr political APP
pcintecs under Republican or Demo-
cratic administration, as the case may
! be, instead of with civil service en-
ploycs. and argued that the political Sc
! lections were the more efficient. very lit
/ tic significance was attached to his OBJ
Scrvaticns. which were regarded for the
moment as more or less academic
Now. however, the biggest sensation
has developed in the government service
since the DAYS when disappointed
/ 0ffice-seeker assassinated President Gar
field and gave rise to the civil service
/ system of today. VI
Torn on every side by the demands of
! Ofce-seekers who served the Republican
! party in the 1920 campaign and who are
/ eager to serve 1t even more energetic
| ally in the congressional campaign of
/ 1922, President Harding has yielded at
/ last to the opportunities of his political
| associates.
The axe fell first on the heads of -
/ bureau chiefs and subordinate officials
! in the governments biggest bureau-the
/ bureau Of printing and engraving where
| the. stamps, paper. money and govern
| ment bonds are made. Without a word
/ of warning, without a chance to defend
/ themselves. these officials, many of
whom have been III the bureau since boy
/ hood days, many of whom have never
voted or affiliated with political parties,
were cast adrift and under the law in
eligible for government service again.
I All Employees Arc Disturbed.
The whole government personnel is
! disturbed. Hints are given that the in
/ ternal revenue service and the customs
service, the prohibition enforcement
staff and other bureaus which, like that
/ Of engraving and printing, come under
the treasury department, are to be the
! victims of a political house cleaning.
/ Secretary Andrew Mellon loathes poll
/ tics. He has declined to interfere with
what has seemed to him an efficient per
sonnet. Mr.. Harding couldn't persuade
Mr.. Mellon to take n deep interest in
party patronage. So Elmer Dover, re-
gional director for the Republican party
on the Pacific coast, and one OF the
leading Republicans of the state of
| Washington. consented to become as
sistant secretary of the treasury and
has been conducting a relentless fight
| against Democrats still in Office, In
this he has the hearty sympathy of Re
publican members of congress who are
not overly fond of Secretary Mellon.
anyway. first. because of his differences
| with congress over taxation, and second.
because of his pronounced opposition to
! the bonus bill. Commissioner Blair of
the internal revenue is already at odds
with Mr. Dover over the matter of ap-
pointmentS. 1t win be remembered that
the internal revenue service practically
grew IN under the Wilson administra-
ton. due to the heavy work of tax col
! lection. and Mr.. Blair is naturally I'M
willing to let go of experienced men