The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-04-10
DENY c. O.P.
SEEKS TO END
CIVIL SERVICE
Harding Has No Designs
Against Merit System =
Congressman Do Not Want
to Have Patronage.
SAY CHARGES AREFALSE
PALLADIUM NEWS BUREAU

have been raising lately that the sin
full Republicans are seeking to exter
inmate the civil service is political
hokum and "old stuff"
A few years ago when the Repub
lcans were in the minority in congress |
they frequently warned the country !
that they were the only friends of the !
civil service and that the Democrats |
were seeking to displace it with the /
spoils system.
As a matter of fact the Wilson ad-
ministration did succeed in making |
considerable of a mockery OF the merit i
system. BY shrewd manipulations the !
federal service was well filled with /
observing Democrats" as they were
referred TO by William Jennings Bryan !
while he was secretary of state
1t has now been over year since i
the Inauguration of President Harding
but large army of Democrats still |
remain on the payroll. The majority |
of these partisans were appointed dur /
ing the eight years OF the Wilson ad- !
ministration, and they were appointed
for services they had rendered to the
Democratic party. Nearly all OF them
were placed under the protection OF
the civil service by executive order.
y few days ago few of them were
removed by another executive order,
and the Democratic minority in the
senate has been in eruption ever since
Has No Designs.
However. President Harding has no
designs against the civil service, and
any effort to repeal the civil service
act would flop miserably in either
house of congress.
The overturn OF the merit system
would mean the return of appointment
to government service by patronage,
ana the limited patronage a congress-
man, for instance. now enjoys is the
bane of his existence
large majority of the Republican
members of the house of representa-
tives do not date their congressional
service prior to the first Wilson adj
ministration, consequently they had no
experience with patronage until the
advent of the Harding administration,
and to the average Republican con-
gressman that experience the past IL
months has been a sad one.
Patronage Limited
The Republican congressman's pat
ronage is limited to the appointment
of postmasters of first, second and
third class offices, and it was consid-
\ master General Hays, whose now fam
ytous order required congressman to
cooperate with the civil service COM
mission in the selection of such Of
ficials.
Congressman having their first ex-
perience with patronage have learned,
to their sorrow, that it is no political
asset in nine out of ten cases. They
realize there is considerable truth be-
hind the witty remark of a member
of congress made several years ago, to
the effect that if there were three
candidates for a postmastership the
resulting appointment earned for the
congressman two lifelong enemies and
an migrate, the migrate being the ap-
pointee.
System Not Weakened
Since congress passed into the con-
troll of the Republicans in 1918 there
has been no legislation which weakens
in any way the civil service. In fact
the only important act relating to the
civil service enacted during that per-
iod was one which civil service en-
ployes had long advocated, providing
for the retirement on pensions OF sup
eranuated employees.
The act provides that government
workers under the merit system may
retire at their own option after a cer-
tain period of service, and there are
many who now believe that the serv-
ice would have been more greatly
benefited had the law made retirement
compulsory after the prescribed period
of employment
Spokesmen for the administration
have made it plain that the recent
he httrn nf ono a
and printing is not an attack on the
a civil service. The presidents action
- in that matter was based entirely upon
his determination to remove officials
whom he believed to be inefficient
and, probably. not in sympathy with
the nolicies of the administration.
Their places were taken by other civil
service employees whom the president
regards as trustworthy
Room for Improvement.
II is generally admitted that there Is
room for Improvement in the operation
of the civil service. A frequent com
plaint is that government employees
having secured positions in the classi
fled service, too frequently believe tha'
they are no longer required to put
forth their best efforts.
One of the charges made by Demo
Gratis in the senate, in connection with
their effort to convince the country
that the Republicans are attempting
the overthrow of the civil service
seeks to discredit Senator Harry S
New of Indiana, now a candidate fol
denomination.
The assertion was made by Senator
Caraway of Arkansas that a Republi
can organization in Washington wa:
attempting to coerce Washington gov
ernment employees who have a voting
residence in Indiana to support Sena
tor New at the primary election undel
the provisions of the absent voters Law
of that state.
Sent Form Letter.
The coercion" consisted of SENDING
a form letter to Indiana people who ar
employed in Washington reminding
= them Of the coming primary election
v and urging them to participate in j
under the absent voters law.
Among the signers of this lette
were DR. Harvey w. Wiley, forme
Continued on Page Seven)