Evening star., 1937-08-01
Continued From First Page J

the invitation not including them. but
1t occurs to me that the mere fact that
they had to submit themselves to 4
competitive examination would exclude
administrative minds in the country"
You would not get anything but \
candidate. in other words" Repre-
sentative Taber, Republican OF New
York, interjected.
Again Brownlow sought to explain
that his committee had aimed at q
plan, in general that would induce
the most capable men and women in
the country to enter on careers in
the administrative work Of the United
States"
Said Senator OMahoney: "Of
course, that is the objection that Is
being raised to what you say, namely
that this system that you propose
automatically excludes some of the
very best persons in the country and
opens the door almost alone to those
who happen to be either applicants for
job or those who are in civil service" :"
BroWnlow responded that this was
not nearly SO much barrier as that
sent up by political preferment.
Senator Barkley got back in the
discussion
This provision" he said, limits
the Presidents power OF appointment
to those who are seeking the job, and
makes it impossible for him to draft
anybody who might not be an Office
seeker who might not be after the job,
and who would not want to 60 through
the minutiae Of taking the civil service
examination, something like rural
mail carrier or a third class post
Office"
Brownlow suggested that the ex-
animation would hardly be OF that
type.
Then the discussion turned to the
question Of what constitutes policy
making positions.
Barkley said it had been his ex-
perience and observation that a lot
Of so-called n-policy-making sub
ordinates here in Washington make a
lot of policies that are adopted by the
departments He asked where the line
Of demarcation would come.
Brownlow said that would be for
the Chief Executive to decide. The
Brownlow report described policy"
places as consisting in the main Of
heads OF executive departments,
undersecretaries and assistant sec
rofoYieS tho vrNoyS,horc of ,loto ~,
commissions, the heads Of q few of the
large bureaus engaged in activities
with important policy Implications,
the chief diplomatic posts, and a
limited number of other key positions +"
O'Mahoney voiced the opinion this
field was too narrow.
Led Around" by Subordinates.
Il speak from my own experience in
the Post Office Department. and know
1t is very easy for an undersecretary
to be led around by the subordinates
who know good deal more about the
business than he does when he comes
in said the Wyoming Senator.
Senator Barkley raised the issue Of
other holdovers in changes Of admins
tration. saying he knows of many
instances where civil service employees,
| appointed by previous administration
or previous administrations. In the
administration Of their duties have
under cover and secretly, and in other
methods Of insinuation and innuendo,
undertaken to discredit what the pres
ent administration is trying to do"
O'Mahoney related similar expert
ence.
Il have personal knowledge of cases
| in which civil servants of the Forestry
Bureau, appointed under previous ad-
ministrations, exercised their power to
bring about the appointment in the
c. c. c. camps of persons who were
altogether out of harmony with what
the administration was trying to do"
Senator Barkley got in q blast at
American diplomatic representatives.,
relating that in a trip through Europe