Evening star., 1933-07-24
Civil Service in Post Office
Revives Patronage Debate

he may win his point. But the sud-
den fash Of temper Congressman have
shown may prompt him to concentrate
his efforts on more urgent matters"
An attempt to relieve congressional
members of his party from the pres
sure of the hungry army Of job seekers"
is seen by the Baltimore Sun and that
paper makes the further comment:
Mr.. Roosevelt and the grand vizier Of
the patronage department, Mr. Farley,
are entitled to more than passing credit
and promote efficiency by one and
the same gesture. Other Presidents
and other Postmaster Generals have
labored under the delusion that good
politics and good government do not
go together. These two have discovered
that they 60 hand in hand. The dis
covery Is so simple and so encouraging
for all concerned as to leave us all
gasping with wonder that politicians in
the past have been too dumb to see it."
THE defect in the Roosevelt order"
declares the Newark Evening News, lis
the failure to limit certincation for ap-
pointment to the highest rated competi-
tor in such an examination. To that
extent he undershoots the mark Of his
last Democratic predecessor, Woodrow
Wilson, who in similar endeavor made
the man at the top Of the list his ap-
pointee That Wilson policy was ended
by Harding. whose choice of three sub
stitute Mr.. Roosevelt adopts. Too wide
ly real Civil Service reform is vitiated
by this latitude, which enables political
considerations to play the chief part
In the selection"
With suggestion Of filling the jobs
first with good Democrats" the San
Francisco Chronicle concludes: "Of
course, if an executive order can put
jobs under Civil Service for the bene-
At Of deserving Democrats. another ex-
ecutive order can take them out of
Civil Service for the benefit of returned
Republicans. But it probably has not
escaped Mr.. Farley's astute board OF
strategy that this would put on any
Republican administration that did 1t
the onus of cutting down Civil Service.
Ali in all, the plan looks quite clever
from the standpoint of ins looking
to perpetuate their spoils."
"The loss of this vast amount of
choice patronage will cause the pro-
posed legislation to travel rocky road
In Congress" in the judgment OF the
Nashville Banner. while the Chicago
Daily News suspects that "the rage Of
the spoilesmen must be keen" although
the reform mas Deen urged py the C1Vll
Service Association for years." The
Jersey City Journal holds that post
masterships have too long been foot
balls Of politics" and the Charlotte OBJ
server that "the President quite clearly
is officiating in the interests Of the
Government"
On the contrary. the Sioux Falls Daily
Argus-Leader is Of the opinion that The
whole thing Is being iusgled at WaSfl-
ingtcn from a political viewpoint" The
Altoona Mirror reports a shock Tor
deserving Democrats" but advises that
some Of the qualifications essential to
the conduct Of post Offices like those
at New York, Philadelphia and Chi
cago, for example. are rather difhcult
to ascertain through examinations.
The Springfield (Mass.) Republican de-
clares that ut Is dollars to doughnuts
tina: Congress will sink, without trace.
Mr.. Farley's bill"