The Washington herald., 1922-04-11
HAVE NO APOLOGY
FOR DISMISSALS,
SAYS PRESIDENT
Harding Replies to Head
Of Federation of Fed
eral Employees.
INVENTORY YELLED
Many of Furloughed Men Are
Expected to Resume Work
By Friday.

With secrecy still the dominating
feature. the work of clearing the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
situation resulting from President
Hsrding's abrupt reorganization by
executive order continued yesterday.
While the accountants and
checkers from the Treasury Depart
ment and the Department OF Jus
tice were engaged busily in taking
an Inventory of the bureaus ma
terials. members of Congress and
officers of the Federal Employees
Union. were demanding to know
why the twenty-seven division
executives were summarily dis
charged" when the reorganization
became effective.
President Answers Steward
President Harding, in a letter ad-
dressed to Luther C. Steward, presi-
dent of the National Federation Of
Federal Employees. stated that the
action was necessary to give COM
rlete assurance of protection to the
governments interests and that he
Although accepting President
Harding's proposition that eff a re-
sDcnsible executive head may not
take such action as Is deemed nec-
essary for the good OF the public
service. then such an inhibition on
the powers of the Executive ought
to be made very clear to Congress,
the government employees. and the
American public to which we are
all answerabIe," Steward. in a
prompt reply to the President en-
phasized that the ends of the Civil
Service must be brought about
through a strictly merit system of
appointment, promotion and dismis-
SAL"
Crrsway Offers Resolution.
Steward also declared that "cour-
tesy shall not be confused with
apology" and that all but two of
the dismissed division executives
will lose their retirement annuity.
which at the retirement age, 10
years, has a value of $4,000.
In the Senate, Senator Caraway,
of Arkansas, charged that the Pres
ident had "infringed" upon the
rights of former service men as
well as Civil Service employees.
charged Vice President Coolidge
with refusing to recognize" him,
and introduced a resolution demand
ing to know how many former serv-
ice men had been dismissed from
the government service by the ad-
Reports to President.
A report on the inventory now in
progress at the bureau was made to
the President yesterday by the
newly appointed director, Louis A.
Hill, stating. ii is understood, that
the check was making good prog
ress, and that so far mo evidence
Of any Irregularities" had been dis
covered
Secretary of the Treasury Mellon
dispelled the belief that the finding
Of bundle of IS bills in the Po-
tomac River last Friday had any
connection with the present situa-
tion at the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing by announcing that the
bills were part of $4,000 in can
relled bills which had been stolen
by a watchman who has already
been arrested
No Charges Called For.
President Harding's letter to
Steward included these statements,
some of which are in answer to Miss
Gertrude McNally, secretary of the
Women's Union of the Bureau of
Engraving and Printing:
THE changes made at the bu-
reau were ordered after extended
deliberation, and were inspired
wholly for the good of the service.
II was so stated at the time. / do
not understand that such a state
nent of such an action impugns
any ones character. or calls for
charges against the employees con-
cerned. or demands explanation by
the Executive.
The order in this case specifically
stated that those OF the dismissed
employees who were eligible to re-
.irement would be retired as from
the date of the order; which r
think you will agree is not subject
10 the construction that their char
icters were impugned in any way.
Miss McNally's letter states that
-hese persons are ineligible to re-
coafsnsed - PGos ss-