Evening star., 1933-07-21

Defense of the Library of Congress
against attacks of spoilsmen appears as
a national movement, and is accom-
panied by unqualified Endorsement of
its achievements and service to the
country Political desire to make use
Of its 800 jobs is rebuked. and the rec
ord Of DR.. Herbert Putnam, the
librarian. is reviewed with appreciation
Of his fitness.
1T Is hard to believe" declares the
New York Herald Tribune. ANY one
could be so perverted as to wish to apply
the impious doctrine of'political spoils
to the Library Of Congress. However.
DR.: Herbert Putnam, one of the world S
some 800-odd, have, it IS said, been
listed as possible victims of the patron
age ak. President Roosevelt, we are
sure, would never sanction such a raid.
Nor do we think the suggestion origi-
mated with Postmaster General Farley,
although, as chairman of the Demo-
cratic National Committee, he must find
places for thousands of the deserving
In his party Certainly, few members
of Congress at all familiar with the
excellence Of the administration of the
institution would harbor any idea of its
degenerating into an asylum for job
seekers"
Recognizing an effort to throw out
the 800 employees and replace them with
Democrats" staff writer of the Port
land OregoniaD asserts: The White
House frowrls on this proposal, for the
librarians, high and low, are specialists
and much as the administration loves
to provide jobs for Democrats. it has
no wish to disturb these technically
trained men and women" The Spring
field lMass) Union, remarking that
both parties have applied the doctrine
Of political spoils," adds: I'VE do not
recall that any party ever attempted to
carry the policy SO far as to suggest
that an eminent librarian and 800 men,
bers of his staff should be displaced in
order to make room for Democrats in
the Library of Congress"
It is recalled by the New York Times
that when Congress enacted, In 1897,
the law under which the Library of
Congress has since been administered,
it rejected political patronage by putting
upon the librarian full responsibility
for the selection Of his staff" The
Times finds every reason to believe
that Congress will hold to its original
intent" and advises that the legislative
branch of the Government should be
rity this institution Of its creation
The Philadelphia Public Ledger observ-
ing that "the spoilsmen have even cast
their eyes on the Congressional Lii
brary," thinks that "Mr. Roosevelt's un-
expected order to Postmaster General
Farley in his move to put all postmas-
tiers under the classified Civil Service Is
all the more refreshing in view Of the
threats of wholesale patronage mon
gering."
Never In the history Of the Capital, I"
says q correspondent Of the New York
Evening Post, has there been such
pressure upon an administration for
jobs. II the spoilsmen have their
way. there win be some strange faces
among the thousands Of rare old books
in the Library"
"Under one President after another,
regardless Of party" declares the Bir-
mingham News, "the tendency has been
steadily away from the spoils system.
The civil service has more and more
been widened. We should keep on in
that direction. Our civil service gains
have been too hard won for any sug-
gestion Of q reversion to the spoils sys-
tenn not to cause serious concern" /"
Pointing to evidence that the attackers
have chosen as their first objective the
Library of Congress, the one institution
In Washington where politics never has
entered and where employers are Got un-
der the civil service, largely because
they are specialists" the Boston Tran
script suggests that the Government
employees "are practically In the same
position as the inhabitants Of be-
leaguered .cit0 who await the crashing