Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-24
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

There is a wide difference of opinion
as TO the proper governmental policy in
regard to caring for disabled veterans
of the World War Congress passed a
law soon after the war (July, 1870
which required that veterans OF all
wars should be given preference above
non-soldiers IN all lists of civil service
applicants. BY executive decree Presi-
dent Harding ordered instead the vet
Grams be given five points additional to
civil service ratings III examinations. II
they were not disabled. and 10 points II
they we're partially or wholly disabled.
1t is alleged. however. that, while even
the Executives Interpretation of the
law OF preference was not fully In &C
cord with the law as passed by Con-
Cress and signed by President Harding
yet even that was not being followed by
many of the departments in appointing
veterans entitled to preference.
y X x 4
When this situation was brought to
the attention of President Coolidge
about six weeks ago, he appointed an
advisory committee to investigate the
conditions and report TO him their
findings. That committee is composed
of Hamilton Fish, Ir., member of the
O1s .ENGDtEaElttdAAFCct N&Ad&t AllkaAA >
William G. Deming. president Of
the Civil Service Commission: Brig.
Gen Hines, director Veterans Bureau;
Col. William J. Donovan, Assistant At
torney General. and Lieut., Col. John
Thomas Taylor, legislative agent Of the
American Legion.
According to a report in the New
York Times last Friday, President DEM
ing is quoted as saying at a meeting OF
this committee that it IS the opinion OF
the Civil Service Commission that all
employees of the Government ought to
be selected exclusively upon the basis
of efficiency. regardless of their mill
tarv record, whether they are wounded
or partially disabled. Instead of weak
ening the efficiency of Government work
by favoring men or their wives, simply
because the men had fought for this
Government and the American ideals,
no attention should be paid to that in
appointments, but the Government
should compensate" them directly. Ac-
cordingly, patriotic sacrifice should be
forgotten when the partially crippled
for instance, the accountant with one
leg gone (aS though he couldn't figure
as well as If he had two legSl asks for
a desk In some Government Office where
his self-respect and competency viii not
be handicapped by his service at the
front; LET him be pensioned and board
ed In a soldiers home rather than dis
place some competent" bookkeeper who
found essential employment" at home
during the war. That is Government
efficiency" as expressed by some OF the
opponents of veteran preference.
III contrast with such policy--there
Is the idea of Henry Ford. who is also
favorably inclined TO efficiency" In em-
ployment. He declares that there is
hardly disabled man for whom some
kind of work cannot be found in the
Ford factories. and 1t is Mr. Ford'S idea
that such should be given the prefer
euce. Even criminals are given chance
to redeem their records and Henry
Ford today has on his pay roll no less
than 1000 criminals who have served
time in penitentiaries, and who with
rare exceptions are making good. He
does not shut his eyes 10 everything in
a man not covered by written examt-
nation OF efficiency" Why should
Uncle Sam be more cold-blooded in pa
tri0tiSm than the most efficient factory
manager in the world? Was IL an IRE
Ceemahle crime" TO have been SOL
der at the front?
Gen, Hines was inclined to be fndlg-
nant when he found that In the New
York Post once there were less than
per cent of all employees who had mill
tary record
There lies before the writer a letter
OF appeal from a veteran In Georgia
who desires appointment as rural mail
carrier. He has passed the civil serv~
Ice examination with an average OF IS
per cent. He is a fraction of per cent
below a Stay~at~homc, not counting hts
legal i0-point preference. SD that, with
that legal preference. he heads the list
by more than nine points Neverthe-
less. the appointment Is delayed be-
cause the Congressman prefers young
man, SON of the deceased carrier, who
II now FILLING the vacancy temporal
riiy" although he failed IN the civil
service examination and was not III the
Army or Navy during the war. The
law is scoffed at by the politicians,
THIS Is cited as typical Of many cases.
y
At q meeting of the advisory COM
msttee this was said by Gen, Hines
Il had the personnel division ask
Is, In reality, a phenomenon or exist
al1na ia thar 4 F1paNfHaa El centniNt@ "A