Evening star., 1938-03-15
GOVERNMENT WINS
ON CIVIL SERVICE
Single Administrator Plan
Approved by Senate in
5O-to.38 Vote.
BY j. A. O'LEARY.

BY ]. A. OLEARY.
Administration forces won the first
round In the Government reorganiza-
tion fight. when the Senate voted, so
to 80 this afternoon, to abolish the
Civil Service Commission and substi-
tute a single administrator.
On the roll call, supporters of the
bill rallied few more votes than had
been expected to defeat the motion OF
Senator Walsh. Democrat, of Massa-
chusetts, which would have preserved
the three-merber, bipartisan COM
mission.
Two more important skirmishes still
lie in the path of the bill, one over
proposed abolition of the controller
generals office and the other over
whether Congress should reserve to
itself some method of passing on
presidential orders regrouping Gov
ernment bureaus
La Toilette Defends Change.
For two hours preceding the vote,
spokesmen for the opposing factions
debated vigorously the relative merits
and disadvantages of commission
or single director of the civil service
system.
Senator La Toilette, progressive, of
Wisconsin, an ardent New Deal sup
porter, came to the defense of the
single administrator plan in the clos
ing moments of discussion. calling it
'the greatest step forward in the
oevtt riI-il
Ia blished. in 1888"
arlier, Senator Tydings. Democrat,
Maryland. supporting the commits
plan, reminded the Senate that
President has allowed the con-
Iller generals Office to remain vacant
nearly two years, since j. r. Nc
hrl completed his term. The Mary
lander added:
Il would hate to see the civil service
run for two years without filling that
position"
Burke Backs Tydings.
Senator Tydings had pointed out
that with three-member commission
q vacancy does not interfere with the
functioning of the agency through
the two remaining members.
Senator Burke. Democrat, of Ne
brasks, another commission defender,
observed that the President also has
left the Office of budget director un-
filled for long time and that board
of three provided for by Congress to
supervise the Federal Alcohol Control
Administration has never been ap-
pointed.
Senator La Toilette argued that
back in 1883 the function of the Civil
Service Commission was to guard per-
sonnel against the spoils system, but
that now its work has become purely
the administrative function of holding
examinations This. he contended.
could be better performed by an ad-
ministrator.
The Senate agreed unanimously
yesterday to the OMahoney amend
ment to establish reviewing boards in
all Government departments to hear
complaints of employees against their
efficiency ratings under the classifca-
ton law. sy
Making steady progress, 1t also
adopted a dozen or more non -contro-
versial committee amendments, and
then wrote into the bill an assurance
that the President could not repeal
acts Of Congress in the process Of re-
grouping bureaus.
Byrnes Sponsors Change.
The latter safeguard was sponsored
by Senator Byrnes, Democrat, of South
Carolina, in charge of the BILL and
means that the President can abolish
bureaus outright only when their
functions have been transferred to
another agency. Mr. Byrnes contends
this was the intent of the committee
originally, but he offered the amend
ments to overcome fears voiced by op-
position Senators during debate.
With these preliminaries out of the
way, opposing factions launched final
arguments late yesterday on the rela-
tive merits of three-member BIZ
partisan Civil Service Commission or
single administrator as advocated by
proponents of the bill. This was the first
OF three major issues in the measure to
come to head, and Majority Leader
Barkley obtained an agreement for the
vote on it at 2 pm today.
Under the O'Mshoney amendment
employees would be entitled as mat
ter of right to appeal from their ef1-
cheney ratings. The reviewing board
Tor each department would consist
OF a chairman named by the Civil
Service Commission or administrator
and two other members selected by
the department head.
Several Amendments Made.
Among the committee amendments
adopted without debate were the fol-
lowing:
Limiting the Presidents reorganiza-
ton powers to July l. 194O, instead
OF three years from the enactment
Of the bill;
Eliminating the proposed new de-
partment of conservation;
Making the Budget Bureau definite
~ an independent agency, as a step
toward moving later to give it juris-
diction over current accounting. if
the committee succeeds in abolishing
the General Accounting Office;
Setting up a joint congressional
committee on public accounts, which
would appoint the proposed auditor
general, who would succeed the con-
troller general but with power limited
to post audits. Senator Byrnes at
first proposed the joint committee be
selected without reference to party
representation. After Senator VAN
denberg, Republican,, of Michigan, had
protested against omitting reference
to the minority, it was agreed to have
seven Senators and seven House men,
bers, but not more than five of each
group selected from the same party.
nIlRThlI cYpENcEc