The Washington times., 1925-08-11
PATRONAGE
SYSTEM
WINS
Senators Worst Gen. Andrews
in Battle to Harvest
$500 PIums
Bx GEORGE R. HOLMES

Prohibition endorsements suit
for an absolute divorce from poll
tics has been thrown out of court.
This was the Interpretation
placed today on the brief an
nouncement from the Treasury
that no new prohibition super
visors will be appointed who are
Objectionable to the Senators in
whose States they are to operate.
Putting it the other way around,
senatorial voices will continue to
speak powerfully in the appoint
ment of dry directors, just as they
always have in the past.
Thus is chalked up failure No.
l in the ambitious plans being laid
to completely reorganize and re-
vamp the whole Federal system of
enforcing the Volstead law.
Too Strong For Andrews.
Under the reorganization plans
made by General Lincoln C. An
drews, the country was to be di.
vided into twenty-five enforcement
districts, laid out according to ju-
dicial districts. They were to he
presided over by $7,5OO-a-year men,
chosen for executive ability and
without reference to politics or
political considerations of any sort.
Announcement that this bit of
$7,500-a-year patronage was to be
distributed without reference to the
Senators concerned created a storm
Of tornado proportions. which has
been raging under the surface for
several weeks. Jobs that pay
$500 a year do not grow on every
Senatorial patronage tree, and the
fact they were to be plucked inde-
pendently of Senatorial preference
did not sit well.
of the Treasury Mellon ard other
Administration officials that this
was a most radical and revolu-
tionary departure from the time
honored system of dispensing Fed
eral jobs. Ever circuit Federal
judges, it was pointed out, were
always appointed by and with the
approval OF Senators whose dis
tricts were affected.
The net result OF the protests has
been that General Andrews has
been compelled to abandon that
part of his reorganization scheme.
Has Other Difficulties
The new dry car is also exper-
fencing difficulty in still another
phase of his housekeeping cam
paign. He is having difficulty get
ting men of the big business
executive type to become prohibit
ton directors for $500 q year.
Executives OF the type General An
drews desires usually get more
than $500 a year, and, besides,
they apparently do not crave the
work of trying to enforce the Vol
stead law.
Some Of the business men APP
preached on the matter have frank
ly informed General Andrews that
they would not be averse to the
task provided they were given abb
solutely a free hand to select their
personnel, hiring and firing at will,
and paying the salaries that ordi-
nary business pays for meritorious
work. But to be responsible for a
force OF agents unknown to them,
in some cases inefficient and in
some cases graft-ridden, and being
limited to the comparatively small
salaries paid-they oacked away.
The handicaps, they thought, would
be too great for sincere, efficient
work.
General Andrews is st.il hopeful
that he will have his enforcement
machine ready to operate by Sep
TENDER /, but it is admittedly a for
lorn hope. Predictions were made
today that it will be nearer October
than September 1 when the TWEEN
ty-two new directors take up rhe
business OF drying up the United
States.