Evening star., 1933-09-01
PATRONAGE STORM
BREWING AS PARTY
IGNORES SENATORS
Democrats in Upper Branch
Indicate ReprisaI Action
g in January Session.
SOME JOBSEEKERS FIND
SUPPORT REAL HANDICAP
Sincere Desire to Avoid Breach
Modified by Department Heads
Cool Attitude.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.
Democratic Senators who hop in and
out of Washington this Summer seek
ing to keep up with the new deal'
and more particularly to obtain jobs for
their constituents are disgruntled be-
cause their recommendations for ap-
pointments are not more successful.
Some of them are fit to be tied when
the heads of departments and some
Of the newer Government organizations
are named. There is a storm brewing
which may break with considerable
force when the Senate gets back to
Washington next January.
The irate Democratic Senators are
not blaming Postmaster General James
A. Farley, chairman of the Democratic
National Committee and recognized as
the man through whom appointments
to Federal Office must clear before they
are finally made, either by the Presi-
dent or by heads of the departments.
They give Mr.. Farley credit for de-
sire to cooperate. And indeed, office
seekers have been told they must have
the Endorsement of Senators and Rep
resentativeS from their States and dis
trictS before they can get anywhere in
their quest for Federal jobs. But some
where along the line, cogs have slipped
in the machinery. Appointments are
made of men unknown to Senators
without the Senators having been con-
c,iltaJ All pf urpirh iS exceedingly irri-
tating.
Petition Signed by Many.
Not long ago a petition to the Presi-
dent urging that he demand OF his
department heads and the heads CT the
new Government agencies that they give
consideration to the recommendation
of Senators for appointment to places
was drawn up by several Of the Demo-
cratic members of the upper house. 1t
was signed by number of the Senators.
In some quarters it was said that the
list of signers ran as high as rs, though
some of the Senators have denied this.
Senator McAdoo Of California was che
of these who had part.
According to the latest reports the
petition has been dropped; it has not
been sent to the President. Whether
it will be revived remains to be seen.
Some Senators suggested that it would
be wiser to wait until more signatures
could be obtained and, indeed, line up
the entire Democratic membership OF
the Senate.
The sentiment that inspired the petit
tion however, has not subsided. Sena-
tors have found it particularly difficult,
they say to deal with the agricultural
credit organization, headed by Henry
ir. ~ ha
of Agriculture, headed by Henry A.
Wallace; with the Department of
Labor, headed by Miss Perkins; with
the Tennessee Valley Authority and
with the Public Works Administration.
Several of the newly created organ
zations are taking pride in the fact
that they are keeping politics" out of
their appointments. And it is said that
here and there, and particularly in con-
nection with the Tennessee Valley
Authority, recommendation for ap-
pointment by a Senator or member of
the House is positive liability to an
applicant.
Amendment Is Hinted.
In view of the inability of the
Senators to obtain consideration there
is talk of reviving an amendment to
the recovery and public works act, de-
feated at the time the measure was
under consideration, which provided
that every appointee receiving a salary
of $4,000 a year or over should be sub
ject to confirmation by the Senate.
other Senators are talking of offering
amendments to appropriation bills at
the next session especially providing
that none of the money should be ex-
pended to pay the salaries of appointees
to whom they take exception.
Senators are confronted with the
fact that men have been selected for
appointment as engineers in their
States, under the Public Works Ad-
ministration, without their knowledge.
One ludicrous example is said to have
happened in Tennessee. Senators
Mcclellan and Bachman failed to
selected there. The story goes that
whoever made the selection looked up
engineers in the classified telephone di-
rectory and lighted on this particular
name. It turned out that the man had
been a resident of the State for only
eight months, it is said.
Senate Leader Ignored.
Another Democratic Senator. one of
the most prominent in the whole Sen
ate and an ardent administration man,
Lie Olllcl Ody Glldp oPPOA11t-
ment was about to be made in his State
to which his attention had not been
called Indeed, the information came
to him from outsiders in his State.
What he had to say to the appointing
powers was vitriolic. And this was not
the first time this particular Senator
had been so affronted.
The Labor Department has been a
sore spot with some of the Senators.
Miss Perkins has her own ideas about
who should be appointed to places in
that department. Indeed, it is said
that she expressed great surprise when
she was informed that the appointees
to principal positions in her depart
ment had to be confirmed by the Sem
ate and was most restive when some
of her selections we're temporarily held
up during the last session of Congress.
Nothing like this happened, she Is re-
ported to have said, when she was q
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