Evening star., 1935-03-04
Civil Service Protection at Stake.

A practical question of expediency
as we'll as high question of principle
IS concerned in the matter. now before
the Senate Appropriations Committee,
of authorizing payment of salaries for
the last half of the current fiscal year
for those Treasury employees who have
lost their pay-if not their jobs-un-
der the much-discussed McKellar
rider. This was the rider affixed to
the Treasury-Post Office appropriation
bill last Spring, denying payment of
salaries after December to certain
Treasury employees who failed to pass
new civil service examination.
Secretary Morgenthau has made an
able, effective argument in behalf of
the employees. He has pointed out, in
the first place, that their services are
of great value to the Government and
that to dispense with them would ham
dicap Government work. In the second
place. he has correctly deplored the
effect on Government morale and eff
cheney should the precedent be sus-
tanned under which Congress has for
the first time in fifty years "under-
taken to encroach upon the jurisdic-
tion of the Civil Service Commission
in the administration of that law"
Should the principle of the McKellar
amendment be upheld, as Mr.. Nor
genthau pointed out, the protection
of the civil service amounts to moth
ing, and jobs under the civil service
may at any time be placed in jeopardy
by the legislative whims of a patron
age-hungry Congress.
There are now about 1900 employees
Of the Treasury whose salaries are at
stake. Senator McKellar did not know
there would be that many when he
aimed to get rid of some 700 former
prohibition agents, who, possessing
civil service status acquired through
competitive examination under a pre-
vious administration, had at first
been dropped from the rolls in Gov
ernment reorganization and then been
called back into the service. His con-
tention was that the agents were
political appointees Of a previous
administration; that they should not
be recalled to service under a Demo-
cratic administration unless they took
new examination. Controller Gen
eral McCarl ruled that the McKeller
rider applied not only to the 700 whose
scalpS the Senator was after, but to
other employees who had similar
status. Had MIR. Morgenthau complied
with the spirit of the rider as well as
the letter Of the law, and discharged
the employees as well as stopping their
pay. the Treasury would have been
greatly handicapped through the loss
Of competent employees. They have
been doing their work, but have re-
ceived no pay since last December.
Some of the employees, ION advice of
counsel" declined to take the second
examination.
Should the McKeller rider be upheld
by the Senate Appropriations Com
mittee, and salaries for these employees
be denied, a damaging blow will have
been struck at the heart of the merit
system. Employees who, on the
strength Of competitive exaraina-
ton, have won a civil service status
should not be placed in danger of
losing it on demand from politically
minded members Of Congress that
they take another one. The politics of
the candidate for position under the
civil service should have nothing to do
with his eligibility. If he has passed
his examination and is faithfully and
efficiently performing his work. the
continuity of public service employ
ment should be assured him. Sec
retary Morgenthaus effort in behalf
of these employes-and in behalf
Of the merit system in all Government
employment-has been gratifying and
wholly worth while.