Evening star., 1935-07-26
A. A. A. PATRONAGE
PROV|SO ASSA|LED
BY CIVIL SERVICE
Commission Sees Blow to
Merit System in Gore
Amendment.
PROTEST is SECOND
AGAINST MEASURES
Need of Senate Confirmation in
Higher-Salaried Posts Hit
as Destructive.
BY ]. A. FOX.


The Civil Service Commission today
hit out at an amendment to the new
Agricultural Adjustment Administra-
tion legislation which would take
thousands of higher grade positions
all through the Government out Of
civil service and put them on a
patronage basis.
The bill is to go to conference Mon
day and a letter was addressed to
members of the Senate and House
Agriculture Committees, to whom the
commission said that it cannot urge
too strongly that this provision be
eliminated as wholly contrary to good
business administration"
The amendment purportS to be ap-
plicable only to certain classes of nom
except attorneys, whose salary is
$500 or more annually; those in
Washington who receive $4,000 or
more, and those in the field who have
administrative powers and get $500
or more.
AS a matter of fact, however, the
commission points out, civil service
employees in the last two groups also
would be affected, so broad is the
amendment drawn.
"Perils Merit System"
So far as concerns now appointive
positions, it emphasizes that such as
the secretarial force of the President
would be caught.
The commission said:
"The provision is dangerous to the
whole merit system. BaSically, the
Civil Service law rests on the PROPOSE
ton that competition Sits out the
best; that experience makes for pro-
ficiency and that good service is en-
couraged through hope of advance
ment. The proposal, if made effective,
would, for example. require the con-
. f1rmation by the Senate of the 13
district managers of the Civil Service
Commission, each one of whom is a
service employe promoted to his pres
ent position after years of employ
ment in the work of the commission.
There are many other State teorregional
administrators who also have given
years to the Government and risen
by merit in the service who would be
similarly affected"
with such provision in the law"
the commission continued, prevent
ing the possibility of careers in the
public service the benefit in the COM
missions competitions would be lost
because of the fact that the most able
and best equipped would not COM
pete If they knew in advance that
they could never hope to reach super
visory positions, paying a reasonably
adequate salary"
Is Second Protest.
The commissions protest in this
instance is the second that it has
made recently against legislation
which would make higher grade posi-
tions subject to Senate confirmation
In the Farmers Home Corp. bill, a
Senate Agriculture Committee amend
ment would make all positions paying
more than $4,000 subject to Senate
approval.
The commission recommended to
the House Agriculture oL.-nittee,
where this legislation now is, that the
proviso be stricken out In the farm
ers' home bill, however, the apr.ica-
ton was confined to that agency it
self, while the A. A. A. amendment
applies to all governmental operations.
The A. A. A. amendment was spon-
sored by Senator Gore, Democrat, of
Oklahoma, who was defeated in pre-
vious effort to get through an omnibus
amendment of this kind. When the
new national recovery law was before
the Senate, the Gore amendment,
which would have made all salaries
of $4,000 or more subject to Senate
confirmation, was adopted, but later
was reconsidered and defeated.
Among the principal field agencies
. which would be affected by the $500
provision would be Internal Revenue,
. Department of Commerce and Vet
erans' Administration.