Evening star., 1932-12-01
M'KELLAR CHARGES
CIVIL SERVICE PLOT
Attacks BIanketing of En-
ployes as Revival of
SpoiIs System.

| Charges that the civil service is "be-
ing used for partisan political purpose"
and that this condition has existed for
a number of years past" were made to-
day by Senator Mcclellan of Tennessee.
ranking Democrat on the Senate Civil
Service Committee.
The statement was issued through the
Democratic National Committee. Sen
ator McKellar took exception to a state
ment by Senator Bingham, Republican,
Of Connecticut, who had assailed the
proposal OF Representative McClintic of
Oklahoma, chairman of the Democratic
Patronage Committee, to force COM
petitive examinations on Government
workers who had been blanketed into
civil service, after getting their posts
without meeting the requirements OF the
merit system.
Senator McKellar said II do not care
to reflect upon the present Civil Service
Commission; but. either knowingly or
inadvertently, it has lent itself to get
ting Republicans in and in keeping them
in the civil service"
Charges Inequalities.
At the outset. Senator McKellar as
serted "the Civil Service of the Gov
ernment is now composed, taking all the
employees in Washington and elsewhere,
of perhaps more than three-fourths
Republicans and perhaps less than one
fourth Democrats This unequal divi-
sion is not due to accident, but it is due
to carefully laid out and administered
plans. which are and have been wholly
subversive of what, in my judgement, is
an honest Civil Service"
Senator Mcclellan then took up list
of 2,717 workers brought under Civil
Service by President Hoover since July
l, 1890, paying particular attention to
groups from soldiers homes, in the De-
partment Of Justice, and in the Bureau
of Foreign and Domestic Commerce OF
the Department of Commerce.
The change in status of the Com
merce and Justice employees had been
assailed in September by Senator Har-
rison, Democrat, of Mississippi, as a
move toward job protection, and had
drawn a defense from Thomas E. Camp
bell, president of the Civil Service Com
mission, who also explained the bring
ing into Civil Service the soldiers home
employees, 1885 in number.
Sees striking Example"
| McKellar described the soldiers home
cases as "a striking example of the Re-
| publican spoils system" Saying these
were political employees" who had re-
ceived positions without any kind Of
examination as to their fitness" he add
ed that 'manifestly, their being blan-
keted into the Civil Service is unjust
and unfair to those who have stood
competitive examinations, paid their re-
tirement dues and worked all their
lives in the service"
Detailing the list Of employees blan-
keted in by President Hoover, Senator
McKellar said none had ever paid any
retirement dues. None of them had
ever stood an examination, and the only
possible answer to their being found
now in the Civil Service is a political
one"
/ Concerning 1873 lawyers In the Veter-
ans Administration brought under Civil
Service, Senator McKellar said, THE
very fact that he is a lawyer and is
blanketed in, shows that he is afraid
Of the examination
Describing the Bureau Of Foreign and
Domestic Commerce as "Mr. Hoover's
pet" the Senator said many of the DO
sitions call for high degree OF profess
sional and technical skill and that
there is no record to show that the in
cumbents possess the ability to carry
out the duties that have been assigned
to them"
Compares Presidents
Comparing the number Of workers
blanketed in by the three preceding
Wilson. 1876. Harding. 70,
and Coolidge. 1,744-Senator McKellar
said that Mr.. Hoover has blanketed in
nearly as many in three and a half
years as previous Presidents all together
| had blanketed in 16 wears,
In times such as the present" Nc
/ Kellar concluded, mot only Justice to
the workers in the Government service,
who have qualified for their places In
the regular way and have been for years
paying dues. but the efficiency which
the Government must exercise in all of
It's branches demand that an outgoing
administration be prevented from TAX
ing care Of its friends through evasion
of the Civil Service law
If these people who are being
blanketed in by Mr. Hoover can stand
the competitive examination, all well
and good, but to put them in by a
political machine is contrary to every
/ principle of real civil service"
President Campbell had made a de-
/ tailed reply to Mr.. Harrison's charges
He said the Bureau of Foreign and
/ 2|O1liCol4S ildo DCCI
placed by President Coolidge, under
schedule B OF the civil service rules
which provide for non-competitive ex.
animation for entrance. The depart
ment, In September. 1881, desired to
make additional appointments on this
basis, but the Civil Service Commission
demurred. and reported to President
Hoover that 1t was felt that the ap-
pointments should be by competition
Secretary Lamont agreed, and the
seryice-l47 employees, excluding di-
rector and assistant director-was
blanketed In.
Blanketing Explained.
In the Justice Department the
blanketing was explained as correcting
matter that had been under discus
sion since 1924. Under Civil Service
rules dating back to 1908, Attorneys
General have been empowered 70 ap-
point anyone 70 podtlc0s deemed 1eGel
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