Evening star., 1934-07-12
POLITICS FIGURE ,
|NNEW DEALT JOBS
Even Secretary ICkes Re-
ported to Have Succumbed
to Political Practice.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWkkNCE.
For many months the country has
been given the impression that a
new deal prevailed In Washington.
Some of the critics have felt other
wise. namely that 1t was the same
old deal with the politicians at the
helm and with public money and jobs
distributed to the political workers
and those with political pull or in
fluence.
Secretary Ickes Of the Department
OF the Interior came to Washington
with all the high ideals of public
service that disinterested men usually
have. He chased the lobbyists from
his door and kept the politicians
angry because he wouldn't listen to
them. Finally a round robin was
circulated secretly among Demo-
cratic Senators with the idea Of
petitioning President Roosevelt to re-
move Mr.. Ickes. But the petition
died aborning.
Succumbs TO Political Ways.
Now Mr.. Ickes has himself sue
cumbed to the political ways of the
National Capital. The other day this
correspondent published the text of
a general order signed by Mr.. Ickes
stipulating that Democratic news
papers be favored over all others IN
the publication of legal notices OF
the General Land ONCE. which Is a
part Of the Interior Department.
Mr.. Ickes was asked about this by
the newspaper men who come to his
Office from time to time. He said
good naturedly that some people had
lost their sense of humor and that
the same kind of order had been
issued before by the Republican ad-
mtnistrations favoring the Republican
newspapers.
Maybe some of us have been taking
the new deal too seriously. Maybe
things like favoring a certain section
Of the press with advertising money,
however small the amount, isn't any
thing to worry about Maybe what
the wicked Republicans did before Is
nothing to be concerned about.
But for the last year and half
the idea has been dinned into the
ears of the people. over the Radio and
in public speeches, that the Repub-
licans were responsible for the de-
preston, that the Republicans had
made Just about the worst mess that
could have been made of govern
ment. Certainly nobody ever was
given ,the impression that the Repub-
licans did anything worth initiating.
Political Jobs Increase.
But Secretary Ickes in announcing
that he is merely following good old
Republican practice in dispensing
favors to the press which rendered
political services is simply repeating
what members Of the Democratic
party in the Senate told Senator
Norris, who is an independent in
politics and is just as independent
whether the administration is Re-
publican or Democratic.
The Nebraska Senator was arguing
FOR. a provision IN the home owners
loan law which would forbid political
Endorsements from being considered
by public officials in selecting per-
sonnel. Democratic Senators insisted
that they were following Republican
practice ID filing Offices with. their
friends and henchfnen and that po-
htical patronage was in fact an Amer
ican custom. The provision was lost
Today there are IL new laws on
the statute books which make it un-
necessary for applicants to take a
tSiryiI car,,tan. avo,,sixo&{1~ nrR.~ x.@H
teal jobs have Increased from no.
900 before March 4. 1898, to 199, 600
on July of this year. The applicants
for jobs usually line up their Sena-
tors and Representatives and local
national committeeman and State and
county committeeman and everybody
in the community back home who is
presumed to have political influence.
Political Pull Recognized.
1t has gotten now to such q point
that political pull is a recognized part
Of the routine of filling vacancies in
many Government departments. Thus
in Mr.. Ickes' own department, the
following communication from the Of
flee of the chief engineer of the
Bureau of Reclamation in Denver,
Colo:
Notice to applicants:
The Secretary of the Interior re-
quires that each recommendation sub
mitted to him for appointment to a
non-civil service position in the Bureau
of Reclamation be supported by clear
ance from some appropriate official in
the Democratic party organization.
Such clearance need not necessarily
be in the form of an Endorsement or
recommendation. A brief statement
to the effect that there is no objection
to the proposed appointment is all
that is needed.
In order to support the recon-
mendation to be forwarded for your
appointment, it is requested that you
obtain from either the chairman of
the Democratic County Committee, the
chairman of the Democratic State
Committee or the chairman of the
Democratic Central Committee in the
county or State in which you claim
legal residence, a brief statement or
clearance as indicated above. The
clearance should be mailed by YOU
to the chief engineer, Bureau of
Reclamation. Denver. Col. Yours very
truly, r. F. Walter, chief engineer"
Perhaps the Republicans did the
same thing when they were in power.
1t had been supposed the Democrats
would bring a new deal. but politics
reaches into the best of administra-
tions and into departments headed by
the most ideahstic of officials. That
why Government operation of business
enterprises and Government regula-
ton have been so severely condemned
as producing waste and inefficiency.
tCopyright. 1934)