Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-08
j. S. POLITICAL BAN
DEF|ED BY CLERK
Loren H. Wittner, Atheist,
Tells Civil Service of Rights
to Freedom.

OSllO6TdG6Iy NlUldLHlB GIlC OONcIu"
ment's ban on political activity among
classified service employees, Loren Fl.
Wittner clerk in the Police Depart
ment Traffic Bureau, today sent to the
Civil Service Commission letter defy
ing that nody's right to curb him.
In short letter Wittner, avowed
atheist, who has locked horns with Gov
ernment authorities before on several
questions. contended that IF freedom of
speech means anything" the holding OF
Government job docs not preclude
public political activity. nor deprive me
of individual freedom" Wittner means
to make a test case of his point. il
Of1cials at the Civil Service Commits
sion said today they had not yet re-
eeived Wittnerss letter, but that as soon
as 1t was received 1t would be carefully
considered.
What disposition would be made of it
they carefully declined to indicate, espe-
cially in view of the fact, they said, that
the civil service status of persons In the
Traffic Bureau of the Metropolitan Po-
lice Department was in a somewhat
different legal position from the status
of persons in the Federal classified
service, who are directly and wholly
under rules and regulations of the COM
mission.
Transferred to Police.
Wittner, according to civil service
records, was recently transferred from
civil service status in the Bureau of
Aeronautics of the Navy Department to
the Police Department, where he is now
serving as clerk in the Traffic Bureau.
officials in the Police Department
said that all employees of the Traffic
Bureau were appointed and promoted
under the rules and regulations of the
Civil Service Commission, In accordance
with law dated December 5, 1919.
but that no violation of the rules and
regulations had yet come up for deci-
sion since this status was fixed by Con-
gresS. Such employees have been con-
sidered, however. officials said. as COM
ing under jurisdiction of the civil
service rules
William c. Deming, president of the
Civil Service Commission, declared the
position of the commission banning
political activity on the part of CLASH
fled employees was sound. by the act
he said the President is given wide
power to supplement the statutory rules
by others not specially covered by the
statute. The language of the act is
plain on this point and court decisions
uphold this view. Forty-five wears of
growth and stability in the classified
service justify the rules and regulations
against offensive partiSanship."
Openly Supporting Smith.
Wittner's letter declared: II am TAX
ing the liberty of informing the Civil
Service Commission that under my pur-
ported inviolable constitutional rights,
notwithstanding my occupancy of a
civil service position and despite the
commissions unconstitutional rules and
regulations promulgated to prevent
political activity of Government work
ers, I openly and publicly support the
presidential candidacy of that genius
of good government, Democratic AL
Smith. AS an atheist, am free from
stupid religious. social and racial preju-
diceS which are so detrimental to in
dividual progress and evolution; petty
prejudices arising from ignorance,
bigotry, hatred, suspicion and super
Stition.
1T is strikingly pertinent that the
founder Of Jeffersonian Democracy,
model of free representative govern
ment aspired to by the Democratic
party, purposely omitted SO help me
God from the presidential oath. Any
oath containing the words so help me
God is unconstitutional, as 1t is a re-
ligious test. The omission made the
presidential oath non-religious. The
act was atheistic and that oath Is
atheistic still. JefferSon's Bill of Rights
guaranteed freedom of speech and re-
ligious liberty. and that no religious
test shall ever be required as a quail |
f1cation to any Office or public trust un-
der the United States. Thomas Jeffer- |
son sought to protect personal liberty
through liberal humanitarian princi- |
Piles. He dispassionately stood for reli- |
gious tolerance, realizing that intoler- !
ance strangles liberty and is the dead |
liest foe of society.
If freedom of speech means any,
thing and is not mere empty phrase, |
contend that the Civil Service Com |
mission has no authority to arbitrarily |
define or limit the extent of my out |
spoken interest in public questions, and |
that holding a Government job does |
not preclude public political activity nor |
deprive me of individual freedom"