Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-08-29
Merit VS.. Spells System.

BY way of answering the question
whether or not there has been reduc-
ton in the number of positions which
are under the competitive system" the
Civil Service Commission makes public
figures on Government employment
which show that at present the number
of positions in the competitive classified
service is the largest since 1919. During
the past fiscal year there has been an
increase of more than $4,000 classified
positions
Such figures are interesting in show
ing the vast increase in the army of
Federal employees. The total of S24,25s
employees today compares with the
SIS, 49S in July of 1888. But the sig
nificant figure is the proportion of CLASH
fed employes-employes under the merit
system-to the total number of employees.
And for some reason the Civil Service
Commission does not seem to feel it is
necessary to 60 into that. For instance,
in 1920, which was long enough after
the war emergency to make it compar-
able with the present stage OF the
war against depression" about 73
per cent of all the Federal employees
were filling classified civil service posi-
tions; that is, were covered by the
merit system. Today the percentage OF
civil service employees has dropped to
60. At the outset of the New Deal
1877 per cent of the Federal employees
were under the civil service. In 1884
the percentage had decreased to $50; in
1885, to 63.2, and the decrease is still
apparently under way.
The increase in the number OF un-
classified positions is largely accounted
for by the creation of new agencies, or
Emergency agencies. In some OF these
agencies Congress denied the President
the right to cover employees into the
civil service, specifically providing that
the employees be chosen without regard
to the civil service. But at the same
time there has been an unhealthy in
crease In the number of non-civl Serv-
ice positions in the regular establish
ments of Government. In the Treasury,
for instance, there are 81 800 civil service
employees as against 33,s2s filling non
civil service jobs. In the Department of
Justice there are 1858 non-civn service
employees in the total of 1928 employees.
In the Departments of Agriculture, In
terror and Labor the number of non
civil service employees is greater than the
number of civil service employees. Many
of these positions could have been CLASH
fed and filled by competitive examina-
ton. They were not so filed. Most Of
the New Deal agencies could have been
filled by competitive examination. They
were not so filled, but were thrown open
to patronage, pure and simple. And
therein rests one Of the strongest in
dictmentS against the present admins
tration's merit system policy.
Some of the emergency establish
ments may be disbanded. Some Of them
will continue through the next change
of administration, whenever that may
be, and those who got their jobs through
politics will lose them through politics.
But the great danger is that when the
inevitable reduction Of employees begins
in the regular establishments, the po-
litically appointed employe may be pro-
tected at the expense Of the non-po-
litical civil service employe whose job
was gained through merit without bene-
At of politics. That is one Of the vicious
conditions when the spoils system COM
petes with the merit system.