Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-03-30
AIMING TO RETURN
TO SPO|LS SYSTEM
Of OFFICE AWARD
Attorney-OeneraI Daugherty
Quoted as Friendly to Giving
Office to Party Workers.
A BLOW TO CIVIL SERVICE
From Every Evenings Washington
Correspondent

From Every Evenings Washington
Correspondent
Washington. March So.-The clti-
sens OF Delaware. irrespective of
party ariliation. particularly those
who are not patronage peddlers. will
not only le astounded. but chagrined
IA VOL, to hear that men high in
authority here In Washington have
publicly announced they are In favor
Of returning 10 tho ancient and dis
honorable spoils system. which failed
OF It's own iniquity none too soon for
the welfare Of the country.
While the two great parties are
organizing In Delaware for a measure
OF strength, the members OF zach
would do we'll 10 seriously contemplate
what would be the result OF going
back TO the discreditable practice Of
making all appointments 10 Federal
office subject to the whims and ca
prices OF the political boss who may be
clothed with brief authority.
II this contempls ted policy prevails.
the whole civil Service system will
necessarily be discarded. Efficiency
viii be at discount. and the ward
heelers Will have their day In the
award of fat Jobs.
Attorney General Daughorty an
nounces that he could do twice as
much work with two thirds the num-
Der of employees now in tho Depart
ment of Justice II they were political
appuintees instead OF Civil Service
appointees.
I'm other words" says President
Luther &. Steward Of tho National
Federation OF Federal Employees. COM
menting upon the Attorney General :
adv ocaCy q the spells system. apply
the Presidents slogan OF More bust
ness In government. Business
methods in government mean capable
administration and capable admins
tration means the elimination OF idlers
81 there are such.
The United States government is
probably the only large employer in
the world says President Steward
where one 81 the principal executives
WOULD think 81 making such a state
uient as this u the Attorney General
who by the way is the second member
81 the Presidents Cabinet To advocat,
return u the spoils system. tn,
Secretary ~ Labor being the other.
In both instances the vast army 81
men and women who actually operat'
the Government machinery are nad'
the victims OF sweeping generaliza
lions based upon limited observation
limited experience and no facts.
1t Is but fair 70 assume that Pres.
dent Harcing's slogan. More bushes
IN the government means that tn
Federal service should be run as
business institution and not IN Ia
interest CT political workers An ex
esIisnt beginning would be tho Rp
pointnent OF a personnel expert O
National reputation 10 Al the sxistnl
vacancy on the Civn Service Com
mission Such an appcintee might a
first task undertake a personne
survey Of the Civil establishment
There IS no protection in the Civ!
SerN ice law or regulations for EN-
ployees who are not up 10 stancar
and the retention % such employed
Is due either 20 substsndard admins
trstion OF yielding 20 influence exerte
On behalf Of employees who may nc
DO up 20 the mark.
There Is room for Improvement :
the Civl Service. and one notable I'm
provement would be the generi
recognition OF the fact that the Fed
eral government IS business conceT
and net an aggregation Il Jobs"