Evening star., 1933-06-15
Preserve the Merit System!

The President has done the merit
system and the Federal 9rvice, OF
which it is an important part, good
turn in vigorously denying his support
to the BILL just passed by the Senate
and sent to the House, under which
positions with salaries Of more than
$4,000 would be filled by presidential
appointments without regard to civil
service. The bill should be killed.
The emergency, and the necessity for
speedy legislative creation of new Gov
ernment agencies to deal with it, plus
the hunger for political spoils on the
part of victorious Democrats, have al
ready dangerously undermined the
merit system. 1t is time now TO begin
strengthening that system, instead Of
devising new plans to weaken it.
The jobs made available by the new
recovery program. and which can be
filled without regard to the Civil Service
requirements, can and should be utilized
to prevent the threatened unemploy-
ment of efficient Government workers
who are to be placed on indefinite fur
loughs through the various economy
measures. 1t is encouraging to note
that steps are being taken to that end.
But it also is to be remembered that
the lack Of any compulsion to give work
to those employees who have been
thrown out will mitigate against their
unemployment, unless there is more
tangible enunciation Of administration
policy in this respect.
The list OF emergency legislative acts
setting up new Federal agencies with
out regard to civil service requirements
in selecting personnel is an imposing
one. The new National Employment
System, Just created, will replace the
system set UP during the Hoover ad-
ministration, which, 1t was said, pro-
vided safe harbor for many deserving
partisans. II that was true, the evil
can be perpetuated, for positions in the
new employment service may be filled
without regard to civil service require
ments. The measure which authorizes
$500, ,oo0, 900 for relief Of unemployment
in the States provides for selection OF
personnel without regard to the civil
service laws" The Muscle Shoals and
Tennessee Valley development viii be
carried forward under Government
agencies which select their personnel
without regard to civil service laws.
The Corporation Of Foreign Security
Holders under the securities act will be
established without regard to civil serv-
ice requirements for personnel. The
Civilian Conservation Corps has been
put to work. of course, without any ref
erence 10 civil service. The admins
trative agencies set UP under the ma
tional recovery act will be manned
without regard to the provisions Of the
civil service laws" The Production
Credit Corporations and the Production
Credit Associations, as well as the Farm
Credit Administration under the farm
relief act, will be administered without
regard to civil service laws. The Home
Ownership Loan Corporation, estab-
lished under the terms of the home
mortgage relief act, will select en-
rloyes without regard to the provisions
Of other laws applicable to the employ
ment or compensation Of officers, en-
ployes, attorneys or agents Of the
United States"
1t Is not possible at this time to
estimate the number OF administrative
and clerical positions to be created
under these various acts But the num-
Der will be large. Most of them are
temporary-at least the hope is that
they will be temporary. If they are
regarded as temporary instruments for
the relief of politicians besieged for
patronage, their efficiency is curtailed
at the outset. The best protection for
the politicians, as well as for the Federal
service and the Nation, lies in
strengthening and protecting the merit
system.