Evening star., 1938-08-24


ticipation in elections, was calling at
tention to the statutes forbidding po-
litical activity and the solicitation of
funds by Federal appointees from one
another.
Unfortunately, calling attention to
the statutes is futile gesture. because
it is the Department of Justice which
must order enforcement of the law
when 1t is actually violated. And the
department is no longer an independ-
ent agency interested in the enforce
ment of all laws. but only in those
laws which it is to the political ad-
vantage of the administration to see
enforced.
Violation Left UnpuniShed.
Thus the plainest case Of violation
Of the Federal Corrupt Practices Act
has been made by the evidence gath
cred and presented in the congre.-
sional record showing that campaign
contributions were solicited and col
lected by the New Deal from corpora
prosecution ever has been ordered. The
evidence was in connection with the
sale of 1885 campaign books which
bore Mr.. Roosevelts autograph.
As a matter of fact, the law with
reference to soliciting funds from
Government employees has also been
violated again and again. 1t wouldn't
take very long to gather the evidence
II the Department of Justice cared to
do So Not long ago letter was made
public, written on stationery OF the
Democratic Campaign Committee, So
liciting funds from Government en-
ployes by mail. Take Jim Farley, for
instance; he is Postmaster General and
as much a Federal employe as any,
body else. Yet under his direction
an entire campaign was carried on
wherein funds we're solicited for cam
paign purposes from Federal employees.
Another favorite method is to invite
Federal employees to the so-called
jackson Day dinners, wherein the con-
tribution is plainly far in excess OF the
amount for the banquet itself. Indeed,
on the tickets recently, the exact
amount to be contributed to the cam
paign itself was noted frankly.
Election Year Gesture.
II this Federal law, whose spirit
and purpose are to bar solicitation OF
campaign contributions by one group
Of Federal employees from the other, is
thus circumvented. then the action Of
the Civil Service Commission in call
ing attention to the statute itself
readily loses its meaning. In fairness
to the commission, it should be stated
that it issues a warning every election
year as to the statutes forbidding elec-
ton activity among Federal employees,
an every election year the Democrats,
like their predecessors, the Republi-
cans. duly ignore the statutes.
Morality in politics has sunk to a
low ebb, largely because there has
never been any rigid enforcement Of
the laws governing corrupt practices
The weakness in the situation is that
the lawmakers adopted statutes to
restrain improper political activity,
but they gave discretion as to enforce
ment to a political agency. Some day,
when the American people rise up in
their wrath. they will insist that the
Department of Justice and the Bureau
of Internal Revenue be taken out of
control of the President altogether and
put under the supervision Of an at
torney general who would serve for
Is years and be removable by Congress
alone, just as was the controller gen.
eral before the present administration
started in to torpedo the only nom
partisan and absolutely honest audit
of Government expenditures the Amer
ican people have ever had
A Department of Justice which can
not be reached politically would not
only command Nation wide confidence,
but it would be of constructive help
in creating wider respect for law
itself than has been the case in the
past.
Copyright, 1889