Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1922-05-19
PUBLIC DOES NOT YET KNOW
TRUTH ABOUT BUREAU OF
ENGRAVING pisMissALs.
CIVIL SERVICE is CONCERNED
Administration Maintains Silence; Sec
rotary Mellon Disciaims Responsible
ity and All Gvesses SO Far Have
Seemed to Be Incorrect.
BY EDWARD q. CLARK

ers or near free traders, the tariff Is
either a blessing or curse, tax or a
reward. This year the tariff accord
ing to everybody's viewpoint Is pretty
much of puzzle.
The bonus, which also according to
the viewpoints is blessed thing or
a blameworthy thing, also is much OF
q puzzle. The tariff and the bonus,
therefore, are twin puzzles confront
ing the majority in congress for soiu-
ton.
The tariff with all It's intricacies and
with all its uncertainties arising out
of lack of definite knowledge of eco
nomic conditions In Europe, and the
bonus with all its perpiexing features.
are as nothing in the way of puzzle
TO something of which the world al
ready knows and which happened re-
Gently in the bureau of engraving and
printing 1t is the chief puzzle or
them all and members of congress are
not alone in trying to find an answer. All
Washington is interested, and to con-
siderable extent all the country Is in
terested. Certain 1t is that there Is
concern among the federal employees
everywhere throughout the country In
this recent happening.
Time In its passing has not carried
away with 1t interest, suspicion and
some other things connected with the
discharge while ago Of thirty-one en-
ployees of the bureau of engraving
and printing. Some few of these dis
charged ones have been reiDstated.
The others still are minus their jobs.
"The Hidden Mystery"
To this story there well might be
transferred the title to book which
was circulated during the war and
which occupied the attention of GER
tain officials of government. This book
was called The Hidden Mystery" al
though why it was necessary TO use
the adjective hidden" before the word
mystery no one seems to know.
Officials of the government, includ-
Ing the President Of the United States,
have had their attention called sharp
by to the so-called hidden mystery OF
the bureau of engraving and printing.
and In way probably not altogether
to the liking of these officials, high
and low.
Washington is trying to find an an
swer to the question: "Why were
thirty-one employees Of the bureau
fired by executive order?"
A dozen or so answers, more or less
haphazard, have been made to the
-,oe+tn., ~, rarconS x.yhn thtnk fhav
know and by others who give answers
for the sake of getting mental en-
ployment and for nothing else. There
was rumor at first that there had
been In the bureau duplication of
government securities, to the possible
resulting loss of security holders.
Then there came the fiat statement
In denial: Nothing to It,"
Then it was guessed that labor union
and anti-labor union activities within
the bureau had caused dislocation of
the machinery of orderly procedure.
Mayhap there is something in this
and then again mayhap there is moth
Ing in 1t.
Other answers have been advanced
and one of them, Of course, is that the
discharges resulted from the desire
of the party in power to open the
higher civil service positions In the
various bureaus of government so that
q ready approach might be offered by
this administration or any other adj
ministration to men and women to
whom the wish was to give employ
ment
Administration Says Nothing.
The administration has kept entire.
Nv silent on this dismissal matter, and
so have the officials of the department
La which the bureau has a place. In
fact. Secretary Mellon of the Treasury
department, which has jurisdiction
over the bureau of engraving and
printing, did not know that the dis
missals were to be ordered. Appar
emily the whole thing was done
through the Department Of Justice.
The natural conclusion, of course
was that the politicians wanted the
places for favorites of theirs, but In
asmuch as virtually every vacated
place has been filed by promotion, q
good deal of the edge has been taken
on Of this charge.
1t Is known that for years some OF
the cabinet officers OF the various ad
ministrations have held that as a rule
not as much work can be got out OF
civil service employees as out of thu
men and women whose positions are
not so guarded. There has been a 10,
Of criticism of the civil service recent
". and some officials here say there Is
only one way in which the civil service
may be maintained. and at the same
time there may be maintained with 1,
efIlcfency in the Offices where the EN-
pIoyees whose places are safeguardet
are at work. The proposed solution
b the appointment of men who ars
known as business managers as thu
H .t.ta<c - oil hupoaun NJ er<xxo~--x