The Washington times., 1938-10-17
CIVIL SERVICE
SNAG HITS PLAN
TO PURGE" FEC
Rebuff Seen in Merit
Boards Letter
BY EARL GOODWIN

The socalled purge" Of the
Federal Communications Commits
sion stalled again today when the
Civil Service Commission wrote to
members of the Commission to
find out whether the request for
exemptions to the Presidents re-
cent blanket order is an official
act of the FCC-or just the ran
dom whim of some of the mem
bers
Meantime a commission meet
ing set for today was cancelled
and the purge" plus a possible
inquiry into the situation sur
rounding the big Crosley radio sta.
ton WLW, will mark time until
further notice
WORD TO OBJECTORS
The Civil Service Commission
refuses to take part in the purge
by exempting between so and 10
minor officials and employees OF
the FEC without the most care
ful consideration"
The Civil Service Commission
today informed two members OF
the FFC, Messrs. Payne and
Craven, who protested against the
purge" Of General Counsel Gary
and other sweeping actions, that
if the Federal Communications
letter Of September % is mot the
official expression Of the Federal
Communications Commission the
Civil Service Commission should
be promptly advised"
The letter Of September % was
one in which Chairman McNinch,
for the commission, suggested that
certain employees be deprived of
Civil Service protection following
the Presidents recent order tax
ing in $1,000 employees who had
hitherto been on temporary status
or outside the Civil Service pro
lection.
COMMISSION SPLIT
It was understood that Chair
man McNinch then had the o. K.
Of Commissioners Sykes, Brown
and Walker, leaving Case, Craven
and Payne against him. CommiS-
sioner Walker, it is understood,
now states he did not give his ap-
proval to the idea Of purge"
via the Civil Service Commission.
Other members of the commits
sion point out that the act Of
Congress which created the COM
mission specifically declared which
employees should be Civil Service
and which should not and their
views seems to be that this status
cannot be changed by the recent
Executive order.
On this point the Civil Service
Commission is apparently ada
mant and puts an inSurmountable
barrier in the way of a purge"
simply by taking the Civil Service
cloak Of security from employees.
CIVIL SERVICE VIEW
The letter on the subject signed
by President Harry B. Mitchell, of
the Civil Service Commission,
states:
The Executive order of June
"a, 1888, clearly has two objec-
tives: D The extension of the
competitive merit system to in
clude a large number of posses
Sions now exempt from competi-
tion and (2) the furtherance Of
q career system in the Federal
Government by increasing the
number of higher positions
brought within the range of the
merit system.
There is no purpose whatSo-
ever in the executive order to in
crease the number of exempt
positions; and although the Civil
Service Commission has not
reached a decision with respect
to the specific recommendations
made by the individual depart
ments and independent estab-
lishments, it may state in this
connection that it believes it
would not be obeying the direc.
tion Of the President in his Ex.
ecuitve order were it to concur
In the recommendation of Chair
man McNinth in the letter Of
September 23, to increase the
number Of nonmerit positions in
the Federal Communications
Commission,