The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1935-02-15
PATRONAGE SYSTEM VICIOUS

The current patronage revolt" on
Capitol Hill affords striking proof of
the fact that, far from being poll
tical asset, patronage more frequent
ly Is q distinct and costly liability
from which most members of Con-
gress would be happy to free them
selves, it was declared today by
Luther G. Steward, president of the
National Federation of Federal EN-
ployees.
President Steward expressed SYM
pathy for members of Congress "who
have found themselves weighted
down by vicious system inherited
from the past; system which, con-
trary to general opinion, has destroy
ed more political careers than 1t has
built up"
Passing by entirely for the
moment the obvious unsoundness,
from the economic and administra-
tive standpoint, of spells appoint
ments, the rebellion of the House
members reveals graphically that in
stead of profiting by patronage, the
individuals who are presumably dish
ing it out actually are being crushed
by system which has been forced
upon them and which Is becoming
more and more unmanageable each
day." President Steward declared.
persons of long experience in the
field of politics know that patronage
generally is boomerang. The more
experience the politician has, the
more he SHES away from its dangers.
at is fact that elimination of the
spoils system, with all of its attend
ant evils, would be definite boon to
all members of Congress by wiping
out once and for all the pitfalls
which inevitably follow in the train
of patronage.
Certainly che episode in the
House is not an edifying one, and yet
no one with knowledge of the
practical aspects of the matter can
fail to sympathize with the members
who are struggling in che oozy pa
tronage morass.
"The way out of the bog is thor
ough and complete drainage; namely,
substitution of the merit system for
tI,o opoilo cvcfom
| Until the merit system does sup
plant the spoils system, members of
Congress will be forced to continue
to spend the greater proportion of
their time wallowing about in the
patronage mess rather than in the
constructive work of legislation for
which they were elected And there
is not member of Congress today
who would not welcome the oppor-
tunity to devote himself fully 20 his
Legislative duties.
1.-THE spoils system is wasteful and
destructive from every point of view.
Its worst features have never been
displayed more wildly than at che
present time. Remedial action
should be delayed no longer"
Congress will have the opportunity
to take such action when the So
called Logan bill, sponsored by the
National Federation of Federal EN-
Iployees and National Legislative
Council of Federal Employee Organ
izations, comes to vote. Under the
terms of this bill, tens of thousands
of Federal positions, now in the pa
tronage category, would be placed
within the civil service system.
Hearings already have been held
on the bill before subcommittee OF
the Senate civil service committee
and more than score. of nationally
recognized personnel authorities ap-
peared in hearty support of the
measure.
Passage of the Logan bill, u
President steward asserted, would
go far toward relieving members OF
Congress of the heavy, odious, and
politically >costly patronage respons-
bilities with which they now are
struggling"