Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-07-25
PATRONACEB
F. A. A. BILL FIGHT.
Row Develops Over Attempt
to Exempt Employees From
Civil Service.
BY ]. A. FOX.

A vigorous fight is in prospect In
the Senate over the provisions in the
House-approved bill exempting en-
ployes of the proposed new Federal
Alcohol Administration from civil
service requirements, it developed to-
day.
Fearful that establishment of the
of the Government on patronage
basis will encourage another wave of
abuses and corruption such as were
produced in the old prohibition set
up, opponents of the House bill are
prepared to carry their fight further,
even to the extent of laying their case
before the White House
The existing Federal Alcohol Con-
troll Administration was not a civil
service group, but Administrator
Choate, it was said today. had exer-
cised the greatest care in the selection
of personnel.
Doubt Is Expressed.
Under the terms of the House bill,
doubt was expressed Sas to just how
much care could be exercised, mas
much as it makes mandatory on the
administrator to choose his staff with
out any regard to civil service laws.
On the floor of the House while the
bill was being debated, the statement
was made that the President could, If
he saw At. bring the new organization
under civil service, but a question at
the Civil Service Commission today
elected the information that this was
not possible.
In other messages using that Ian
guage," said the commission, the At
torney General has decided that the
President has no power by which he
could bring the F. A. c. A. under the
civil service or classification acts. The
language is mandatory and the use
of the word shall prevents the ad-
ministrator from making civil service
appointments. The Attorney General
rules that because Congress has given
power to the administrator to appoint
the President cannot take that power
away from him and provide for any
other method of appointment than
that which is provided for in the bill"
Agency Under Treasury.
Under the bill as now written the
new agency will come under the Sec
rotary of the Treasury, who has al
ways used civil service employment
lists wherever possible and has gone
so far in providing Alcohol Tax Bu-
reau jobs for white collar workers on
relief as to make an absolute require
ment for employment that the relief
agencies pick needy, qualified individ-
uals.
AS the bill went through the House.
Representative Mapes, Republican, Of
Michigan, and Bacharach Republican,
Of New Jersey. both attempted to have
the employment provision amended to
provide for civil service workers, but
were voted down.
When the old Prohibition Bureau
was established in 1921, it was set up
as a non-civil service agency, and
the abuses that followed in the wake
of patronage appointments led Con-
eIess in 1927 to change it over on a
civil service basis. 1t was required
that the incumbents, about 2,400 in
number, should take competitive ex-
aminations to hold their places, and
of these only about IS per cent were
able to measure up to the standards
Half of the number failed in the
written test and Of the other half
that were successful more than so per
cent were thrown out by the rigid
character examination.
The legislation now awaits action
of the Senate Finance Committee.
Vote Is 229 to 100.
AS passed yesterday by the House
by vote of 229 to 100, the bill re-
quires Federal permits from every
one in the liquor industry except re-
tailers and brewers; it outlaws inter-
locking directories between manu-
facturers and retailers and bans unfair
practices. In general, its work will
be similar to the Federal Alcohol Con-
troll Administration, which collapsed
when the Supreme Court abolished
tho N 2