The Washington times., 1936-06-22
LEAGUE FLAYS
lew DEAL s
PATRONAGE
By J. EARLE MOSER


been excepted from the civil serv-
ice law and rules, the National
Civil Service Reform League
charged today in it's annual report.
Quoting figures obtained at the
Civil Service Commission, the
league declared that last April
there were 36 independent agen-
cies which had been created since
March of 1888, of which 25, with
111,COe workers, had been entirely
excepted from the civil service acts
provisions. The remaining II, it
was charged, were included under
the merit system as to rank-and-
file personnel but many special
types of employees, such as attor'
neys and experts, were left open to
patronage.
A total of more than $4,000 po-
litical appointees under the works
program was mentioned as well,
while it was declared that Fed
eral positions subject to the merit
system decreased by 852 during the
New Deal at the same time that
Jobs excepted from civil service
'leaped by $4,000.
Declaring that at no time since
the civil service law was originally
passed has there been so much
agitation for extension Of the
merit system as today, the leagues
report pointed out that President
Roosevelt's much pIbliciZed" let
ter to clergymen last year brought
widespread demands for the elimi
nation of patronage, and that
similar demands have been made
by the League of Women Voters
and the General Federation Of
Women's Clubs. 1t said:
"The Congress-, however, has
utterly failed to recognize this
demonstration as a mandate
from the public. No cOnstruc-
tive personnel legislation that
has been before it has received
more curSOry attention. Even.
measures which have received
committee approval have been
buried on the calendar, from
which they can be taken only
by unanimous consent which
has been StudiOuSly withheld"
The report charged Postmaster
General Farley has created pa
tronage jobs wherever he could,
and asked what "real progress"
can be made as long as other Fed
eral officials who control person
mel policies share the same views.
In this respect, Secretary of Com
merce Roper was quoted from
statement he made last January:
I'VE must approach the
compelling question of eff
cheney in public service from a
much broader viewpoint than
that of the civil service system
alone. when the people of the
Nation vote their approval of
the policies of one or the other
Of the parties, they are in ef-
feet stating that these policies
shall be carried out and put
into action by men who are in
harmony with them. ANY other
Interpretation of this question
would be an utter refutation
Of the mandate of the people,"
JACKSONIAN THEORY
This statement. the Civil Serv.
ice Reform group declared, is a
return to the Jacksonian theory
Of limited office tenure and a
clean sweep" after each change
of administration, which was
termed in the report as "politi-
cal philosophy based on the doc
trine that the Government exists
not for the benefit of the people
but for that of political parties"
Admitting that President Roose-
velt has frequently expressed his
desire that merit overbear spoils,
the report added:
1--WE fear, also, that the fail
ure Of the President to take
executive action against demon
strated instances Of partisan
miSmanagement of important
branches of the service, or
assessments Of public employees
for campaign purposes, must
lead inevitably to the belief that
he acquieSceS in the actions of
VAC VSeAASoVCA OCAACA&A d4Au
others Of the Administration
similarly bent toward the
patronage system"
The Works Progress Admins
tration was pointed out in the re-
port as an outstanding example
of what patronage will do. 1t
is charged that 10000 admins
trative posts in WA were created
without fixed standards" no
tests of capacity, the appointments
dictated by politics alone. To this
was attributed the scandals that
have accompanied relief activity,
and the President was charged in
the report with having failed to
invoke authority to place the 40,-
900 jobs under the Civil Service
Commissions jurisdiction.
The Republicans received a sort
Of back slap as follows:
'We are gratified that in
spite of the reluctance Of the
resolutions committee to in.
clude a real merit system plank
in the Republican platform, the
Republican nominee for PreSi-
dent saw fit to announce pub
licIy his recognition of the par
amount Importance Of extend.
d. ing the merit system to the
highest administrative posi-
tionS. We confidently hope the