Evening star., 1923-12-15
Justice Demands Restoration of
Dismissed Engraving BureauMen

| recommended nor approved the dis
partment, and that, in effect, he
Jndersecretary Gilbert and practi-
cally all of the responsible officials
of the Treasury Department wer.
compelled to stand aside In the mat
ter. So completely was Presiden,
Harding misled that on a public occa-
sion shortly after the dismissal
| the bureau employees he stated tha
the question involved Is not one
adherence to civil service rules, bu'
one Of common honesty" 1t wa
the Attorney General of the United
States with a corps of Investigator
had been placed in charge of "th'
case"
, Ihe people Of this country were let
believe that sensational disclosure.
iould rapidly follow. Throughout tn
nd much uneasiness was caused
mong that great number Of inexpe-
.enced holders Of government bonds
Jhich the war brought US. II there hat
peen any basis in truth for the repre-.
entations which must have been made
}. President Harding to lead him
AXE the drastic action which he d.t
Ike, then ordinary diligence and inte.-
gence should have resulted In tn.
rompt obtainment Of all Of the facts
.ecessary to support those representa-
ons.
Months elapsed. From time to
time apparently authentic reports to
he effect that the investigation was
progressing found their way into the
press. Nearly d year passed before
my official announcement was made
nd then the public was told thai
he investigation had not revealed
ny dishonesty and that there Woui'
be restored to the discharged en-
pIoyes, with one exception, their civil
service status. This meant nothing
n the way of restitution, and even
ess than nothing in the way OF DIS
closing to the American public VINO
lad been responsible for the unspeak-
bly, cruel action which had turned
drift late in life, more than score
Of honest and faithful go'Srnment
employees. 1t requires bu. mo-
.nent thought to understand now
title in the way o. restitution was
offered after the alleged investiga-
ton.
The discharged employees, who had
ipent years in the public service. were
merely offered an opportunity to have
heir names placed upon an eligible
last so that they would be considered
or re-employnlent if vacancies oc-
turred in positions which they could
ill. which Unemployment. as we all
know, would be at the bottom of the
ladder which most of them had al
'eady laboriously climbed. These men
and women were most Of them too old
20 begin life over again. Some of
them had broken up their homes and
sought places to lhe elsewhere. One,
we were told, died of broken heart.
But we were not told. and we have
not yet been told, what became of
those who caused the doing of the
wrong. Is the manor are the men
who were directly responsible for
misleading the President of the
United States into the commi ssion of
The wrong, which he himself would
nave most deeply regretted had he
ever known all the f.cts, still in the
government service, still on the gov
ernment pay roll. and, i. so, what ex-
pl.inati ton is there? Was 1t gross in
competence or willful malice that mis-
led The President-and if either, how
has IT been rewarded or punished?
Is it true that Secretary Mellon
had previously to the discharge of
the bureau employees caused a care
Iul investigation to be made into the
charges against them and had found
those charges without foundation?
service ignored in a matter directly
within its province? Is it true that
the chief of the secret service after
investigation, and prior to the dis
charge of the bureau employees. found
and reported that the charges werf
without justification? Is continued
official employment. honorable resig-
nation or summary dismissal to be
the portion of whoever was re-
sponsible?
Are not these que~tions worthy of
public attention? Should not the
aeme wide publicity be given about
those who caused the doing of in
Justice 10 their fellow men as was
given when the CHARGES were first
reported and the injustice first done?
4 X
hold no brief for the discharged
bureau of engraving and printing en-
ployes. SO far as I recall l do not
even know one of the men or women
involved. 1 am sure that the average
American heartily believes in the
principles of the doctrine of the
square deal, and because of that belief
/ am confident thaa wide pubic inter-
est will not be lacking in this case.
FRANK ]. HOGAN.