Evening star., 1932-09-25
MANY LAME DUCKS.
FACING LEAN YEAR
President Is Expected to Re-
duce Federal Appointments
to Minimum.
BY J. RUSSELL YOUNG.


There is a lot of disappointment In
store for the lame ducks If President
Hoover carries out one idea he now
has about governmental economy and
eff1ciency{
The President Is represented as hav-
ing decided to go as far as he can in
reducing Federal appointments, and by
50 doing he will reduce to the minimum
the filling of vacant posts in the Gov
ernment. He is said to have made up
his mind to make no appointments be-
fore election and as few as Is possible
afterward.
This policy regarding patronage can
not help but serve as bad news to the
Senators and Representatives who
already have gone down to defeat and
those others who will fall in battle in
November.
May End Old Custom.
It has been more or less an old-tir1e
custom to take care Of the more deserv-
ing lame ducks by appointment to some
place in the Government, but from all
accounts President Hoover's eagerness
to effect real economy is going to bring
this custom to a gloomy ending. 1t is
pointed out by some of the President S
friends that by this plan he has a
strong argument for economy on his
side. = is added that there will be no
cause for complaint except from the
lame ducks. while on the other hand
there will be occasion for praise from
the country at large.
Mr.. Hoover is said to feel that many
OF the Federal boards and commissions
and bureaus are over-manned. and that
they would be far more efficient in most
instances with a reduced personnel.
Certainly there would be a saving in
real money to the Government. He is
understood to have concluded that at
least until the Nation wide depression,
hieh is fs nov facing ad tbs the has
look brighter those $4,000 and $4,000
Jobs, which do not absolutely necessi-
tate filling, can be left vacant. In some
instances, such as the Federal Radio
Commission where vacancy has been
existing ever since Gen. Saltzman re-
signed early in the Summer, which has
personnel representatives by zones, Mr..
Hoover'S discretion is held to be limited
However, in other cases he Is under no
eompulsion to make appointments where
vacancies exist.
Attractive Jobs Vacant.
Besides the empty seat on the Radio
Commission there are several really
attractive berths waiting to be filled,
and for which more than one lame
ducks mouth is already watering. One
exists on the u S. Tariff Commission,
caused by the recent death of Lincoln
Dixon of Indiana. Since then j. W.
Pole resigned as controller Of the cur
rency. Several weeks ago President
Hoover named Ernest B. Thomas of In
diana, TO fill vacancy on the Federal
Farm Board, but to the great surprise
OF every one this was declined, prob
ably the only instance on record where
$4,000 Government job was turned
down. Then there is vacancy on the
Federal Reserve Board. Very shortly
another vacancy will occur on the Fed
eral Trade Commission, as Chairman
G. w. Hunts term will expire
The Presidents plan will be all the
more disheartening to the lame ducks
because there are so many Of these
right now, and their ranks will be
greatly increased in all probability after
November 8. At the present time more
than 40 members of the House have
peen de1eated. F1teen more have VOL
unfairly retired, most likely to forestall
defeat. Five members Of the Senate
have been defeated. Two Senators are
retiring. OF course, this bevy includes
Democrats as well as Republicans.
Democrat Would End Hopes.
In the event of the election of a
Democratic President it is natural to
expect the Republican lame ducks to
face difficulty in getting confirmation
should they succeed in prevailing upon
President Hoover to appoint them to
something worth while before March f.
The Democrats will want to keep these
plums for members of their own party.
In the case of lame duck Senators,
this handicap may not apply. The
Senate follows a certain custom OF
courtesy which makes it possible for
Senate lame ducks to receive confirma -
tion regardless of their political faith.
1t Is expected that Washington will
be the scene of quite congregation of
these defeated statesmen after Novem-
ber 8, casting eyes over the list of
vacant Federal places. But if Presi-
dent Hoover stands firm by his present
plan that Government commissions and
boards and so forth are already over
manned and that a stable sum could
be saved by not filling these places,
plenty of disappointment Is in store for
this group.