Evening star., 1932-09-03
Politics and Civil Service.


of errors than of issues that the Pres
ident so quickly moved to unravel yes
terday in restoring to his job an In
diana postal clerk, dismissed because OF
activity in behalf of the bonus pay
ment in an American Legion meeting.
The President acted with commendable
speed to prevent what might have be-
come totally erroneous understanding
of the spirit Of the regulations forbid
ding political activity by classified en-
ployes.
In the first place. the clerk was dis
missed because, in addition to other
alleged delinquincies, he had introduced
"a bonus resolution at meeting Of the
American Legion, Crown Point, Ind,
March 8, 1882, contrary to the expressed
wishes of the President, who considers
such legislation harmful to the coun-
try at this time"
AS the President points out, he has
never said anything about the bonus
or any other public question In rela-
ton to the conduct of Government en-
ployes and "the fact that they differ
with my views does not necessarily con-
stitute political activity under the law
which forbids such action" In other
words, the Presidents views have
nothing to do with the issue which
might have been, but which was not,
raised. The law prohibits political ac-
tivty, and could be applied as quickly
in the case Of an employe who engaged
in political activity in behalf Of prin-
ciple the President fully approved as
In the case of one whose political ac-
tivity was in behalf of something the
President disapproved.
What constitutes political activity
may be an elusive question. The Civil
Service Commission has ruled that ac-
tivity in campaigns concerning regula-
ticn Of the liquor traffc is an activity
in which classified employees may not
engage, although the activity Of the
employe may be under auspices OF a
religious organization. At the same
time any employe may freely discuss
the ethical and moral aspects Of the
prohibition question and may work for
temperance. So it Is, or was, in regard
to woman suffrage. And so 1t might
conceivably be in regard to the bonus.
The Associated Press on June 90
carried a dispatch from Toledo, Ohio,
reporting William G. Morgan, postmas-
ter at Stanford, KY, as telling the as
sembled postmasters Of three States
that "they are part Of the national
administration and owe it their loyalty
and support" That would be construed
as political activity. But the Postmaster
General has ruled that presidential
poetmasters, however, do have right
to engage in political matters so long
Is the required time and attention are
given to postal matters" In other
words, the activity of presidential post
masters has nothing to do with regula-
tionS regarding political activity of
classified employees. The spirit of these
regulations is best expressed by the
Civil Serrice Commissions memoran-
dun of last June. In that memorandum
st is pointed cut that:
If it be permissible for Federal en-
ployes to take active part in a political
campaign to elect one candidate and
defeat another by the same token the
successful candidate must be accorded
the right to dismiss from the public
service whom he will and fill the va
cancy by the appointment of whom he
will. That means the return to the
spoils system, with infinite disaster to
Federal employees and the public service
It is childish to assume that the pro-
tective provisions Of the civil service law
can outllve the full and impartial en-
forcement Of its restrictive provisions.
The latter alone make the former pos
sible, and the notifications of the latter
will destroy the whole law.