Evening star., 1932-09-28
DENY CIVIL SERVICE /
|SPLAY|NG POLITICS
Commissioners Answer Har-
rison's Charges Against
President Hoover.

Charges by Senator Harrison, Demo-
crat, OF Mississippi, that more than 500
employees of the Justice and Commerce
Departments "have been placed under
the protection of Civil Service by Exec
utive order of President Hoover since
the first Of the year" as a political
move, today drew from the Civil Serv-
ice Commission reply that the trans
fers were in accord with the policy to
extend Civil Service authority over per-
sonnel as far as possible.
At the same time, it was revealed
that a detailed reply to the accusations
of the Mississippi Senator was being
written and would be issued later.
In connection with the whole matter,
attention was called to the fact any
executive order may be modified by a
succeeding order, and transfer OF per-
sonnel by this manner under one ad-
ministration could be nullified by sue
ceeding administration If 1t was so de-
sired.
Senator Harrison's statement was is
sued through the Democratic National
Committee. The salary range Of those
affected, he said, was from laborerS
and messengers to district managers
in the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic
Commerce of the Department Of Com
Termed q PrecuatiOn.
Putting them under civil service, he
said. was "a precaution which it was
not thought necessary to take at the
time of their employment by the Gov
ernment but which the administration
apparently considered vital when it
became evident that after March 4 next
the affairs of the Government will be
in Democratic hands"
THE normal and average citizen finds
great difficulty in obtaining employ
ment with the Government. He must,
first of all, take rigorous civil service
examination. If he passes. there must
be room in the quota assigned to the
section in which he lives. Friends Of
the Hoover administration, however.
have found places under the protecting
wing of the civil service, without all
these formalities.
The Bureau of Foreign and Domestic
Commerce is, as everybody knows. a
brain child of President Hoover. 1t was
In this bureau that much of the false
and misleading propaganda bolstering
up the era of false prosperity orig
mated
There were 337 employees affected by
the transfer to civil service ordered III
the bureau March 10, he said.
Justice Department Hit.
"The Department of Justice" he said,
affords an even more striking illustra-
ton Of sudden realization of the benefits
of civil service The records of the Civil
Service Commission will show that as far
back as 1924 the Civil Service Commits
sion protested that the Attorney Gen.
eral had abused the privilege OF making
appointments considered legal and con-
fidentiar outside the Civil Service. The
various heads of the Department OF
Justice since that time could see no merit
in the repeated complaints of the Civil
Service Commission for many years.
"On February 2, 1882, an executive
order vas issued which covered 900
persons in the Department of Justice
into the classified civil service. The po-
sitions embraced wide range, from la
borers, messengers. clerks, Stenogra-
pliers. librarians and typistS. In the
higher grades were examiners of ac-
counts. with salaries from $2700 to
$4,000; assistant chief investigators,
5000; supervisor of social service,
$4,000; executive assistant, $4,000, and
industries agent. 1000.
Since the Department of Justice Is
supposed to enforce the law and see
that Justice is administered, I presume
IL is not difficult for those who direct
it to satisfy themselves that the en-
ployment of laborers and supervisors of
social service are covered under work.
ers OF legal and confidential charac-
ter"