Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1922-04-12

the twenty-five men in the
Bureau Of Engraving is unprcccdcut-
cd. Senator Caraway, Of Ark k;nsa$.
says it is plainly Illegal, and wien it
w.:S pointed out to hin. thai Mir.
Harding had not acted until A,tor-
ncy General Duughcrty had dec ,Nred
the step was Within the Presidents
authority, Mir. Caraway said:
Tho Attorney General is Il poll
teal associate OF the President. and
would probably tell him it was all
rgh, to suspend the Constitution if
he desired to do So
Members Of Congress are curious
to know what led the President to
dismiss so many men in the Bureau
Of Printing and Engraving, and Mr..
Caraways resolution demanding al
investigation will probably draw
forth some further statements for
the administration.
"lf anybody in The government
service has been guilty Of ineniciency
or corruption, they should have been
dismissed" said Senator Caraway 20
day, "but no man ought to be de-
prived OF al honest living through
secret investigation and without be-
ing given an opportunity to learn the
particulars or 'he charges that are
lodged against aim, and who his
acCUScrS are
The statutes have been brought
intO the controversy, Tor 1t is con
tended by the Federal Employees
Union that Mr.. Harding ignored the
fundamental law. Here is the stat
ute:
"No person within the classified
service Of the United States shall be
removed therefrom except for such
cause as will promote the efficiency
Of said service, and for reasons given
in writing; and the person whose re-
moval is sought shall have notice Of
the charges against him and be fur
Nished with Il copy thereof, and also
BE allowed reasonable time 10 an
swcr the same in writing, and 20 file
aildavits in support thereof"
The reason given publicly by the
administration is incilicicncy and the
Interest Of the service \ test case
may develop in the courts 10 dis
cover what the rights OF govern
mcnt employee really are as against
an executive order Of the President.
1t is true that a Presidential order
superscdcs most everything, and that
Chief EXective has the right to ap-
point persons 10 positions inside the
civil service without examination,
and he has the right to abolish jobs
which were previously covered by
civil service. The Presidents techni-
cal right TO take steps at once-abol-
ishing positions and appointing new
men to vacancies by executive order
is admitted by most OF the gov
crnmcnt lawyers.
But there is considerable doubt rs
to whether the President has the
riGht Of removal without furnishing
evidence or tho charges existing
against government employee. If
he has, the whole civil service SyS-
tenn, il is cOntcndcd, rests wholly on
the whim OF a President. The ten
dcncy in Congress has recently been
IN The direction Of abolishing civil
service requirements wherever it is
possible to do so. The postolTicc laws
nave been changed SO as to enable
the government to choose any one
Of the first three who pass the exam.
ina,ion, thus permitting the Prcsi-
dent to ignore the highest man if he
is a Democrat, or even a Rcpublican
without political influence, and the
House Of Representatives has just
authorized the appointment OF 100
additional postoflice inspectors. In
The last ten years not more than 35
have been asked for, and the charge
is made by the Democrats that the
increased force Of inspectors Is to
DO used to hound Democratic post
masters and get rid Of them on inef-
liciency evidence developed by the