The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-05-03
POLITICAL SPOILS

TT is high time that responsible executive
l. heads in the government begin TO give more
than lin service to the enforcement Of partisan
politics from the federal service.
The spoils system is threat to recovery.
The new deal can not succeed without the
confidence OF the people. 1t can not retain
that confidence if the people are forced to deal
with incompetent office holders like many who
grabbed off jobs in the hurried organization of
the new governmental agencies. There should
be wedding out of these incompetents. There
should be safeguards against others of the
same stripe.
Already Republican spokesman are raising
a campaign cry against bureaucracy. The
administration should be in a position to
answer that it is an honest, efficient, indispen-
sable bureaucracy, accomplishing in an orderly
way the purposes of the Roosevelt program.
few administration leaders, notably
Secretary Ickes and Relief Administrator
Hopkins have fought heroically against the
encroachment of spoilsmen. Others have
placed a premium on professional partisans
loading the pay roll with them.
"Seaboard Bill" tephenson-intrusted with
two billion dollars of the taxpayers money for
relief of mortgage distressed home owners
almost wrecked the Home Owners Loan Cor
poration by allowing the Democratic party
machines in several states to staff the corpora
ton with political hacks. In the nick of time
"Seaboard Bill" was denoted, and his job given
to John H Fahey who is working hard for
reform
The refusal of pie-hungry Democrats in
congress to approve the Norris amendment,
removing the partisan test for Home Owners
Loan Corporation jobs, does not in any way
tie the hands of President Roosevelt or Mr..
Fahey who urged it's adoption. After all, the
Norris amendment was little more than
legislative gesture. The heads of the executive
branches of the government always have had
and still have both the power and responsibility
to appoint only qualified persons to admins
trative jobs.
What has happened to the Democratic ma
tional committees housekeeping? Why did
the good work stop with the forced resigna-
tons of only few of the lawyer lobbyists and
federal Office holders? There are still on the
committee men and women who are cashing
in on their party connections either by holding
federal jobs or representing clients who have
business with the government.
And the national chairman and New York
state chairman is still Postmaster General
Farley.
Why have administration and congressional
leaders failed to carry out their promises of a
few weeks ago to enact an omnibus law to
"demonetize politics" by requiring each party
official and each government official to serve
only one master?
Some of these same leaders, who talked so
glibly few weeks ago about purging the par
ties and the federal service of professional
politicians, are now even cool toward the
Borah bill, which forbids members of congress
and government officials to accept legal re-
tainers from persons and corporations whose
interests are in conflict with the interests of
the government.
1t is no answer for the Democrats to saw
that they are no more selfish than were the
Republicans. The people voted for new deal.
They have right to expect a new type of
dealers.