The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-05-21
BY ]. EARLE MosER

Just what internal change or
punitive action will result within
ranks of the American Federation
of Government Employees was queS-
tionable today as leaders studied
the recent "rebellious manifesto"
of six emergency agency lodges.
National officers Of the organ
ization and those who support
them were frankly surprised by
the open attack presented by what
remains of the Washington lib
erals" in good standing, located in
WPA, Resettlement, Labor, Gen.
eral Accounting, Interstate n d
Agriculture. And to date they
haven't decided what they'll do
about it, although some secret
meetings are pretty sure in the
near future.
Sharp action, amounting 10 an
expulsion of the openly announced
rebels, may or may not be taken.
The statement issued against Pres
ident Stengle, it developed today,
was something of a fiaSco and not
at all what the bloc Of liberals
had intended.
:, According to one spokesman OF
the group, it was much too sharp.
He said:
"The thing was not handled
right and / knew it IS soon rs /
saw it in the newspapers. We
are not interested In fighting
StengIe at all, but we owe it to
the people we represent to do
. something for them. And this
has been refused by the national
office"
According to the rebels" they
have IL lodges within the Age.
in support Of them, and this does
not include the six groups Of lib
eral thought that were Summarily
heaved out Of the Age. in De-
troit's red purge"
The present fuss has been brew
ing for years, actually, and results
from the Ages willingness to
include emergency workers as
members. Coupled. Of course, with
It's inability to keep in the middle
of the road between demands Of
the emergencies and old-line civil
service folk and yet satisfy both.
The six rebel groups presented
to PRESIDENT Stengle demand
that he oppose congressional econ
omy moves, basing their action on
aGStatement he made at q recent
meeting that civil service sala.
ries" were in no danger from
economy waves. Their salaries,
they feel, are in distinct danger as
well as their actual jobs. When
Stengle refused action, they
warned that they would take it
in their own hands, but they did
not intend to attack him as vicious
" as press quotations Of their
statement revealed.
Under the A. F. G. E. conStitu.
ton, issuing of unauthorized state
mentS for publication can cause a
lodge, or group Of them, to be
suspended by majority vote Of the
executive council. Should this be
tried, and the individual lodges
deny they had anything to do with
the Stengle attack, it might prove
hard to prove. Anyway, there
should be some fun ahead.
At the same time that emer.
gency workers are turning the A.
F. G. E. inside out, they are max.
ing strong strides on another
front. The newly formed AsSocia-
ton Of NonclaSSified Federal EN-.
ployeS held a highly successful or.
ganization meeting last night at
the Willard Hotel with q turn.
out Of several hundred.
The outstanding feature Of the
confab was the revelation from q
congressional secretary familiar
with inside workings on Capitol
Hill that the House Civil Service
Committee would vote for non.
competitive tests within the Rams
peck merit system" bill If the
measure were tested right now.
The vote would be at least 10-8
against competitive examinations
for incumbents Of Government
emergency jobs, it was declared.
Representative Donald O'Toole,
Of New York, gave the. assembly
something Of a cheering jolt when
he ripped the Government for in.
sisting that industry provide
social security for employees and
At the same time failing to pro.
vide it for $4,000 unclassified
Federal workers. He declared:
"The Government has been
guilty Of hypocrisy in this case
and, in the language Of New
York slang, has told you to take
1T on the chin.
OToole came right out for non.
competitive tests for admission to
the civil service-if any tests are
to be had at all. He said the I'm.
classified workers have gained lin
valuable experience" IN five years
Of employment and now are be-
ing short changed" If they must
take competitive quizzes to hold
their salaries.
;. COOKING SCHOOL - More
thar than $50 enthusiastic femi.
nino Federal clerks crammed the