Evening star., 1939-11-01
Clash Marks
Civil Service ii
Hearing
Frunkfurter at Odds
With Romspeck on
Law School Merits
BY J. A. FOX,

resentative Ramspeck Of Georgia,
chairman of the House Civil Serv-
ice Committee, over the merits Of
law schools today enlivened the
opening Of hearings by the Presi-
dents Committee for the Improve
ment of Civil Service.
The interchange came after Mr..
Ramspeck as the first witness be-
fore the committee, headed by JUS
tice Stanley F. Reed, had expressed
agreement with the Sheppard bill,
passed by the Senate at the last
session, prohibiting Government
agencies from limiting their selec-
ton of attorneys to those from law
schools on the accredited list Of the
American Bar Association.
The bill, which is now in the
House, was designed to meet the
complaint that this restricted policy
was being pursued In some instances.
At the conclusion Of Mr.. RAM
speck's testimony, Justice Frank
furter, a member Of the committee,
referred to this point raised by the
witness and asked If he didn't think
that the worth Of an employe might
be determined by his educational
background.
Cites Public Opinion.
Granting that, Mr.. Ramspeck re-
sponded, he still did not believe that
public opinion would stand for"
q scholastic limitation on employ
ment.
Public opinion is not fixed or
static-it has moved far away from
former Standards" Justice Frank
furter said.
1--WE should have no barriers ir-
relevant to the job to be done," he
continued, "but training is not ir-
relevant. I think that Uncle Sam
should have as good law force as
any law oflce In New York"
Justice Frankfurter, a former
dean of the Harvard Law School,
said that he himself was a product
Of school that was free to the
citizens of New York City and of a
law school that gave free tuition
when financial need was shown.
WELL" Mr.. Ramspeck laughed,
perhaps my views are somewhat
colored by my attempts to extend
civil service in a body that doesn't
care for It,"
He said he found sentiment among
his colleagues in favor of the prin-
ciples of the bill that was introduced
by Senator Sheppard, Democrat. OF
Texas.
HIGHER Grade Of Positions.
The hearings today was on q pro-
gram designed to bring under civil
service higher grade Of technical,
professional and administrative posi-
tions. These were to have been COW
cred in on February last, but Presi-
dent Roosevelt and his advisers de-
cided that before that was done it
would be necessary to devise i'm
proved machinery for recruiting,
training and promoting personnel in
these categories.
In addition to Chairman Rams
peck, other witnesses today included
Isador Lubin, commissioner of labor
statistics, Labor Department; Stuart
A. Rice, chairman of the Central
Statistical Board, and DR.. o. C..
Slime, chairman of the boards Com
mittee on Civil Service.
At the outset of his testimony, Mr..
Ramspeck said he felt 1t was abso-
lutely necessary to bring under civil
service such employees as attorneys
and technicians because otherwise
they lacked job security and that
this encouraged them to use their
official connections for private gain.
He told of one instance of overhear-
ing conversation Of a lawyer who
said he had been offered job un-
der the old N. R. A. and intended to
take it to see what inside informa-
ton" he could get. Another case
that came to his attention. he said,
involved technical employe who
framed bids to help construction
firm.
"The Government needs protec-
ton against this sort Of thing" he
said.
Urges System for F. b. I.
Chairman Ramspeck also argued
that the Federal Bureau of Investi-
CATION should be brought under civil
service, declaring that, while the
present employe selection method
followed by Director Hoover is sat-
isfactory, q "political-minded Attor-
ney General" could change it over
night. He also pointed to the Sue
cess that the Post Office Depart
ment has had with maintaining the
postal inspection service under civil
service. He also used the Post Of
flee Department to illustrate the ad-
visibility of making Government
service a career service, declaring
his belief that right now it is at
the point of its highest efficiency
because the men at the top all have
had long service.
Justice Reed asked Mr.. Ramspeck
for his views on the apportionment
system under which each State is
allotted positions in the depart
mental service here in proportion to
its population.
Answering he knew there wa
much sincere opposition" to ap-
portionment, Mr.. Ramspeck said, IT
think that the inevitable result Of
abolishing the system would be the
establishment In Washington Of an
aristocracy Of civil service whose
children, and grandchildren would
occupy Government positions"
An opposite view on this point,
however, was taken by DR.. Rice, who
said that I'VE think it important to
get and keep here personnel of COM
petence regardless Of their geo.
graphical origin.
DR.. Lubin said he disagreed with
the present theory of the classiflca-
ton system under which the highest
pay goes to the head of an Office, de-
claring that this was not the truth
In private employment.
There are two or three people in