Evening star., 1933-05-13

IN a series ON the inequities OF the
pending congressional proposal 10
dismiss Government employees under
the State-apportionment principe
for employment embodied in the Ctph
SerDice ldU.
There are many Government en-
ployes who wish they had paid more
attention to geography.
This is the class which came here
during the war, when Uncle Sam needed
all the help he could get, wrote DIS
trict of Columbia" as matter OF course
In specifying place of residence" IN
their applications-and now face the
loss of their jobs because they did just
that.
Every day now the Civil Service Com
mission is receiving inquiring-and pro-
testing-calls from members OF this
group, who find their pcsitions m
neriled by the House provision IN the
independent Offices appropriation bill
that where reduction OF force Is neceS-
sary due regard shall be given to the
apportionment of appointments as pro-
vided in the civil service act.
why, I didn't think 1t made any
difference where you came from; could
have claimed residence IN (and mere
any State is liable to be nameO had
I known it was important" is the gen.
eral tenor of the plants.
Suspended in War Time.
They are partly right. 1t didn't make
anv difference where an employe CAME
from in war time, because Uncle sam
found that the law putting employment
here on the basis of population "bacK
home" wouldn't work IN an emergency
an6 wisely suspended It,
However. after the war, these JOBS In
the executive departments and inde-
pendent establishments were classihed
and made subject to apportlonment, SO
that TODAY local resident incumbents.
and those from the neighboring States
of Maryland and Virginia especially, lar
exceed the quotas" for these three
places. To a less degree, also, ver,
mon. and Iowa are "over the Top,
bringing to five the total groups whlcn
would be first hit under the proposed
reduction plan. e..
After these, of course, the STATES
which lust about have their quotas IN
service would be affected.
Jumped in with this didn't know 1t
mattered" class are their luckleSS fel-
lows, the bona fide residents OF the DIS
frict. who only got into the service
during the war or in normal Times
when none of the States furnished ell
pibles. and now face removal because
they didn't come from some other
locality.
Lose Means of Support.
Victim from the outset of the So
year-old quota proviso which now
would limit District residents to 132
positions in their home city, their con-
dition emphasizes the two gross m
EQUITIES most apparent In the appor-
tionment law, which it Is now pro-
posed to intensity in reverse.
First, as it has been pointed out, II
deprives the youth of the city OF an I'M
portant local means of self-support:
It says to our growing youth, seeking
means of self-support and as class
favored for employment in local INDUS
tries everywhere else: For this service
in the leading industry OF your nome
city YOU must go abroad and gain resi-
dence there in order to secure and nolo
this kind of job at home
Second, in violating the spirit ana
basic principle of the merit system,
as distinguished from the spoils sys-
TEN, IL SLTlk6S dt IAlc A1nAAA AeSsSA 80
the development of a HOMECOMING,
permanent population in the District.
AS has been pointed out in the past,
the consistent policy of Congress. as
State and City Legislature for the Cap
ital. has been to discourage local rae
tories and industrial plants, and IN
effect to prohibit all manufacturing
industries except those Of the Govern
ment, like the Government Printing
Ofice, the Bureau Of Engraving ano
Printing and all the great Government
departments, which correspond to tne
industrial plants Of other American
cities. Having thus monopolized the
most important of the Districts ma
tional-local industries, the Government,
under the apportionment of offices law,
in effect prohibits the employment IN
these industries of Washingtonians.
Offensive Feature Kept.
The apportionment law Is therefore
seen by its many critics as an AloeiuG,A. eu,a
and hurtful compromise between the
merit system and the Spoils system,
carrying over one of the most offensive
features of the spoils system into the
merit system. If it was necessary 10
make this compromise in order to estap-
lish the merit system in the beginning
it can hardly be necessary to retaH
it now when the merit system mas neen
vindicated by its results and Is frmy
established in popular favor. In aou.
ton to the threat to efficiency contained
in the apportionment offices law, ex,
traneous factors continue to be tnjecteo
into the separation (dismissaD ratings
of Government employees destroying the
principle of merit on which the theory
of civil service has its basis.
Last year the marital status law was
enacted, providing for the removal OF
one or the other of a married couple
when both are in Government service.
Now, taking rank with this, Is the
proposal to make domicile determ1n-
ing factor.
Thus, in a system founded on merit.
efficiency is relegated to position OF
minor importance in determining the
eligibility and standing, or rating, OF
employees. At the same time. an unjust
and unfair blow is delivered at the grow
ing youth of this community, where the
main opportunity for employment Is IN
the city's only large industry, the Gov
eminent service.