Evening star., 1932-06-25
If This Be Treason.

my to prevent the iniquitous discharge
without retirement pay of hundreds OF
able men and women who have rem
dered years of faithful service TO their
Government but who have committed
the crime Of reaching an arbitrary age
limit: If 1t be such treason to protest
against a foolish rule that would out
law matrimony within the Government
service and lay of men and women. not
because they are unskilled or inefficient,
but because they are married; If 1t be
treason Of the same sort to 1ight against
the disregard by the United States
Government of every rule Of decency
and considerate treatment Of those who
carry on its work-then the Senate can
proudly say, Make the most Of 1t +"
For the Senate yesterday took the
brave and courageous course Of refus-
ing to give It's sanction to the muddled
report of the conferees on the economy
bill It refused. at the cost of pro-
longing the session indefinitely and Of
endangering the economy BILL to take
action in the name of economy that
would have placed legislative approval
upon so many inequities, so many con-
fusing possibilities. so many acts OF out
right injustice that the record thus
written would have placed the Federal
Government in the role of the meareee
Of skinf1int employers.
The report on the economy bill, a
cross between straight salary slasf1ing
and furloughs and a hodgepodge of
confusing language, left everybody In
doubt as to what it would do and what
1t would not do when 1t finally emerged
from the conference. A House steam
roller that works sometimes and some
the report In hurry. But in the In
terval between House approval and its
consideration by the Senate time had
been given for more leisurely consider
alton. 1t was found that the bill re-
versed nearly every humane policy Of
the retirement law Think Of 1t, Sen
ators!". exclaimed Senator Dale, chair
man Of the Civil Service Committee;
Here is q contract; we step in here
and violate it. Here Is bond; we step
in here and break It and say there will
be no exception unless 1t is to our IN
terest to make the exception, The in
terest of the employees is not considered,
but If it is for the interest Of the Gov
eminent there is an exception; other
wise there is no exception. Now what
does this do7 There may be and there
are q great many employees who have
almost concluded fifteen years OF service
and are about to reach the compulsory
retirement age. Under this provision
they 70 out and they stay out; they lose
their retirement pay; they lose every
thing save the little paltry sum that Is
refunded TO an employe in case he re-
sia7,s or is removed by some fault OF
his own. other than that they lose
everything"
1t was found that one clause IN the
bill amounted to double cut in ap-
preparations; that one clause stipulated
the maximum amount Of furlough 10
be given an employe, while another
ulaced IN the hands Of bureau chiefs
the power to furlough an employe in
definitely, and that the power would
necessarily have TO be exercised; that
there we're so many threats to individ-
uals and to employees as a whole, coupled
with such illogical dicta as that relating
TO marriage in the Government service,
that the bill would turn Washington
and the Government establishment into
a sweat shop and cause endless confu-
sion.
As some Of the Senators said, the in
equities thus revealed are not TO be
blamed on the harassed conferees who
drew up the report. They have been
working night and day and under con-
ditions that taxed their nerves and their
strength.
What is revealed Is the obvious fact
that 1t is impossible to draft a bill,
within the short time available, that
contradicts nearly every principle OF
fair dealing and eficient personnel
poncy-the result of years Of slow and
tedious building-and to expect that
such a measure will not be full OF in
equities, injustices and grave blunders
There is no choice between saving
human lives and saving the few paltry
dollars that would be retained in the
- -, ~
this bill. The Senate has done we'll To
refuse TO accept this measure, and
should be prepared to flght it out along
that line If 1t takes all Summer.