The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1922-05-05

President Harding's assault upon
the Civil Service, his overriding and
setting aside a plain statute providing
a merit system Of government employ
merit, the only alternative of which Is
the old spoils system that bred every
form of political corruption, including
the barter and saleof offices, is seri-
out matter, but one that can be reme-
died at the polls. President Harding's
assault upon his own reputation, the
injury he has done himself, is without
remedy. All the kindly words that
he may hereafter speak will not eff
face the recollections of his heartless
and cruel executive order which
threatened to blast the regulations of
old and faithful employees.
lodge is cold-blooded, Lodge
never has a generous emotion" say
those who are seeking the defeat of
the Senator from Massachusetts,,
"and therefore Lodge must be beaten"
The truth of the matter is that Sena-
tor Lodges enemies are controlled by
a narrow hatred.--N. Y. Tribune edi-
torial.
1t was DR.. Charles w. Eliot, former
President of Harvard, who was re-
ported to have said that he had known
Cabot Lodge all his life and never
knew him to have a generous emotion.
DR.. Eliot, by the way, is Republican,
and throughout his long career as an
educator has never given any evidence
of either narrowness or hatred.
The action of the Navy Department
in refusing to permit the use of the
naval radio for the further broadcast
ing Of speeches by members of Con-
gress is to be commended, especially
as the only speeches broadcasted hith-
erto have been by Republican mem
bers. The ban followed a speech by
Senator New (Newberry Republican,
of Indiana. Naturally, there was a
protest. That's all a suffering public
could stand.
Secretary Hughes is Vice Presi-
dent of the National Civil Service Re
form Association, organized to uphold
the civil service law which President
Harding is trampling on with hob
nailed boots. Secretary Hughes is
also father of the New York di-
rect primary law, but President Hard
ing has declared in favor of the con-
venton system and aga INST the pri-
mary. Secretary Hughes understood
the Four-Power treaty one way and
President Harding construed it an
other way. These are some of the
reasons persons have for saying that
Secretary Hughes has the hardest job
in the cabinet.
| believe that any party that would
go out before the people of America
and make a campaign on the theory
that they were going to wipe the civil
service law and rules off the books
and go back to the pie-counter system
would be swept out Of existence with
an avalanche of votes from which they
would never recover.-Senator George
W. Norris, REP, Nebr.).
| The Harding administration is
trampling upon the principle and the
policy Of civil service almost daily
/, by Diminishing employees without war.
rant and discriminating against ap.
plicants in the matter of appoint
merits.
Government finances are in the
worst jam they have been since the
war. Secretary Mellon estimates the
total deficit for the fiscal year begin
ming July next of nearly half bill
lion dollars.-David Lawrence, Wash
ington correspondent.
Already there have been two de-
ficiency bills passed for 1922 and the
larger deficiencies are yet to come
but this does not prevent the persons
who falsify figures for the Harming
administration from claiming that
that administration is making great
savings.