The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-04-22
[. O. P. HAS TROUBLE IN DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL REVENUE
Feud Develops Between Blair and Dover Over Appoint mentS-CIaim Too Many
 Democrats in Office
By HUGH ". ROBERTS Washington Bureau. The Age-Herald.
 ROO Davidson Building

Washington, April 21.-(Special.)- D. H. Blair. commissioner of internal revenue, has issued an order to the effect that no one save the Secretary of the Treasury, the commissioner himself, and the appointment clerk. R. c. Pollock. shall have anything to do with bringing about appointment or dismissals in the bureau of in ternal revenue.
 The order was issued flor the good of the service" and ito promots ef- ficiency."
 Its direct purpose, however, was to stop the pruning hook" of Elmer Dover. an assistant secretary of the treasury, whose business 1t has been to eliminate democrats from the vari- ous bureaus under the supervision of the treasury. and substitute "deserv- ing" republicans. It Is generally known that up to the present time, he has separated 500 democrats and the jobs they had won by honest labor.
 Creates Sensation
 The order of Blair has created sensation. He has grievously off, tended Dover, who threatens a move ment in reprisal. He has grievously offended Wayne B. Wheeler, general. counsel of the Anti Saloon League, who has always exerted his influence in securing appointments in the pro- hibition enforcement bureau. And he has grievously offended those repub- lican members of Congress who are such ardent spoilsmen that they ad- vocate the removal of stenographers whose fathers have been suspected of having voted the democratic ticket.
 There is already a movement afoot to bring about the withdrawal of the Blair order. In Blairss bureau are several fat jobs at which deserving republicans have for long looked with watering mouths. The point is made that a democrat, irrespective of his competency, cannot give the government the patriotic service that republican, irrespective of his com potency or lack of 1t, could give.
 But Blair, up to the present mo- ,ment. has stood pat. For the good of the service," he says. The Pres- dent made use of that same phrase hen he cleaned out the bureau Of rinting and engraving.
 OOVcE IN 8OiEItCl1n
 Elmer Dover is essentially a poll tician. For years he served as secrc- tary of the republican national com mittee. He was made assistant treas ury secretary following the formal contention of republicans that dem- ccrats were not being cast into outer darkness quick enough. He was given the task of cleansing the Augean stables" as far as the department of the treasury was concerned. He went at the business with a singing heart, and the blade of his scythe fell ruth lessly.
 He named Carl Grabiff, deserving" republican, appointment clerk of the .bureau of internal revenue without consulting Blair. Shortly thereafter, Blair relieved Grabill, without con sulting Dover, and sent him to New Orleans. Blair put Pollock in his place. Pollock is alleged to be a democrat.
 The climax in the struggle of Dover to acquire control of the bureau of Blair was in the form of the Blair order. The terms of the order are so sweeping that Dover's next move ment must be made through Secre- tary Mellon himself