Evening star., 1938-01-24
BUREAU GEARS HIT
AS CIVIL SERVICE
INQUIRY IS PUSHED
Committee Favors Probe of
Alleged Discrimination
by Officials.
CLIQUE MANEUVERS'
FLAYED IN REPORT
personal Politics" Declared
Played in Promotion of Friends
and Salary Increases.
BY ]. A. O'LEARY.

Alleging clique of bureaucratic
czars'" has grown up in the Govern
ment departments, the Senate Civil
Service Committee today made favor
able report on the Ellen6er resolution
seeking an investigation of the opera
ton of the civil service and classifica-
ton laws.
The resolution, introduced last No.
vember by Senator Ellender, Demo-
crat, OF Louisiana asks that the fol-
lowing subjects be inquired into:
"d. The extent to which dis
elimination is practiced by appointing
and supervisory officials with respect
to appointments, promotions, transfers,
reinstatements, disciplinary action and
ALLEGATION of positions in the Govern
ment service.
"(2). The adequacy Of the opportu-
nifty for impartial hearing given to en-
ployes who are Disseminated against
with regard to such matters"
The favorable report followed poll
Of the committee by Chairman Bulow.
The committee recommends that the
proposed investigating committee be
increased from three to five Senators.
and that the cost of the inquiry be
fixed at $4,000.
Many Complaints Reported.
"Your committee believes that the
desirability of an investigation of this
nature will be readily apparent to the
members of Congress who are daily
approached by civil service employees
who charge superiors with discrimina-
ton. favoritism and other violations
OF the purpose and intent of the civil
service law" the report declared.
These charges and the evidence
submitted Herewith indicate that
there has grown up within the civil
service a clique of bureaucratic
cars who. while abhorring party
politics. have worked out system Of
personal politics whereby personal
promotions and salary increases are
traded back and forth and their
friends and relatives are appointed.
transferred and promoted in complete
defiance Of the civil service laws. The
worst enemy of effective government
and a real merit system is a secret
group OF this kind responsible to no
one and chiefly interested only in per-
sonal Advancement.
II these charges are true, and the
voluminous evidence presented to
your committee convinces them that
in q very large number of cases they
are true. then steps should be taken
to correct these practices If an effec-
tive and unbiased merit system is to
be continued in our Government If
they are not true. the shadow of sus-
picion which has been cast upon these
officials charged with the administra-
ton of the civil service law and CLASH
fication act will be removed and the
public and Congress can 60 forward
with renewed confidence in the eff
cheney of the civil service method"
Before the resolution can be taken
up for action in the Senate, it must be
referred to the Audit and Control
Committee, which passes on the cost
OF Senate investigations.
Inquiry Regarded Timely.
The committee report called the
proposed inquiry timely" in view of
the current movement to extend civil
service upward and outward to in
cfude all but policy forming positions
within the Federal structure" Such
extension Of the civil service to the
large group now outside of that law
Is one Of the subjects dealt with in
the Government reorganization bill
which is awaiting Senate considera-
tion following the anti-lynching meas
ure.
Continuing, the committee stated
that II the charges that prompted
the Ellender resolution are true, they
should be exposed to the light of
public opinion and corrective steps
taken before all or any part of the
more than 100000 persons now out
side the civil service are included
under it,"
1t was further contended that no
thorough inquiry of this kind has
been made in recent years and that.
with the increased scope of Govern
ment activity, revisions and amend
ments to the law may be necessary
to make the merit system comply
with modern practices.