Evening star., 1934-07-07
ROOSEVELT ORDER
|PER|LS EMPLOYEES
OF SOLDIERS HOME
Staff Workers of Johnson
City, Tenn, Taken Out
of Civil Service.
ACTION VIGOROUSLY HIT
BY FEDERATION OFFICIAL
Miss McNally Terms 1t "Brazen
Step in Direction Of Return
of Spoils System"

A repercuSSion OF a hight launched
by Senate Democrats 20 months ago
on employees "bIanketed" under civil
service by Republican ADMINISTRATIONS
has Jeopardlzed the positions OF
group OF principal members OF the
staff Of the National Soldiers Home
at johnson City, Tenn, some OF wnom
have passed many years IN the Gov
ernment.
An executive order signed by Presi-
dent Roosevelt June 28 puts these
under schedule A-an excepted class
in civil serUce-permltt1ng them 10
be dismissed arbitrarily and throwing
their jobs open to patronage appoint
ments. They, however, retain rights
for reinstatement or transfer.
The order came to light yesterday
afternoon when 1t was vigorously as
sailed by Miss Gertrude McNaIIy, Sec
retary- OF the National Fed
Grafton Of Federal Employees, VINO de-
scr1bed 1t as thoroughly brazen step
in the direction OF VIDE open return
to the spoils system.
Commission Not Consulted.
She said it was Significant" that
the Civil Service Commission was not
consulted. and noteworthy" that the
order was issued following failure Of
the last session of Congress to pass
the King bill, which would have re-
moved from civil service positions
covered in" by the executive order
Of April %, 1881" This order, issued
by President Hoover, was in conform
ity with the law consolidating veteran
activities and brought under civil
service 1885 employees in II soldier
homes, 1T of whom were at johnson
City.
This order and others issued by
Republican Presidents was vigorously
asSailed at election time in 1882 by
Democratic Senators, who described
it as an effort to perpetuate Repub-
licans in jobs. 1t brought about an
exchange Of correspondence between
Senator McKellar, Democrat, of Ten
nesSee, and Thomas E. Campbell, for
mer president of the Civil Service
Commission, in which the latter fur
nished a statement covering the en-
ployment situation at johnson City.
This showed the employees "blanketed
in" included physicians, nurses, labor
atory aides-a wide range in higher
:lassiflcations as matter Of fact, and
in some instances their appointments
dated back to 10000.
Implication of Action Board.
Miss McNany's statement refers
to the fact that of the several homes
affected by the Hoover order, only
that at johnson City is touched by
President Roosevelt's action and says
that while it is obvious that this
specific attack has been made in
response to demand for jobs to take
care of a State political situation,
the executive order has far more
than local implication"
The President of the United
States on numerous occasions has
voiced his APPROVAL of, and pledged
his support to, the merit principle in
Federal personnel administration,
she continued.
The executive order, dated June
%, is a practical negation of that
stand. 1t can be justified on no
ground, save that Of political ex-
pediency. 1t not only represents a
clear concession to spoilsmen bent
upon crushing the civil service struc-
ture within the National Soldiers
Home. but it must be construed as a
stinging blow to the merit principle
generally.
Cause for Rejoicing"
THE order provides a new cause
Tor rejoicing among the hordes of
political hacks and carpet-bageers
who have been chaf1ng at remaining
civil service restraints"
While the instance is the second in
which President Roosevelt has "un-
blanketed" employees covered into civil
service without competitive test in
the Hoover administration, like treat
ment having been accorded a large
group in the Bureau of Foreign and
Domestic Commerce of the Commerce
Department, it was recalled that the
two cases differ, in that the Commerce
employees were brought into the ranks
OF civil service solely on the initiative
OF the Executive. while the johnson
City employees. along with those in
other veteran establishments, were di-
rected to be brought under civil serv-
ice by Congress.