Evening star., 1939-07-28
Hatch Bill
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Mr.. Roosevelt said he would not put
it that way.
The measure, he emphasized, was
merely in the study stage.
To a query about whether he
might return the bill to Congress
for clariflcation, the Chief Executive
asserted that his study had not yet
progressed to that point.
Senator Hatch said today that my
job won't be completed" until sim
liar restrictions are applied to State
employees who receive all or part of
their salaries from the Federal Gov
ernment.
The latter group contains many
road and unemployment insurance
compensation employees.
Hatch Not Expecting Veto.
Senator Hatch said after his
White House conference that he
never had believed" the President
would veto the measure.
In discussing the bill with reporters
the President remarked that the fol-
lowing is simple example of some
problems which might arise under it:
Suppose you are voter and Fed
eral employe, can you go to a po-
litical meeting? Nobody knows.
He posed these other questions:
Your best friend is running for
office and asks you to sit on the
platform. Can you do it?
You are a Government employe
and anxious to have a good friend
elected, and, without solicitation,
you send him check. Can that be
done?
A lot of Government employees, the
President said, ought to know at
least whether they could attend a
meeting, sit on back or front row
or join in applause.
A reading of the language of the
bill, he said, would bring as many
opinions as there were people in the
conference room.
Asked whether he was satisfied
as to the constitutionality of the
bill, the President said the reply
to that was implied in the fact that
he was studying what people could
or could not do under it.
Asked About Effect on Machines.
One interrogation wanted to know
whether he had studied the effect
OF the bill on State political ma
chimes. The Chief Executive said
that question also had not been
taken up and there had been no
attention at all given to political
consideration involved in the bill
A reporter, he said, had raised an
interesting point in suggesting that
perhaps farmer receiving benefits
from the Government, which might
be considered as relief, might be
barred from political activities.
That raises the question of what
relief is, the President said.
Under the terms of the Consti-
tuition the President has 10 days
after bill is presented to him to
sign it or to return it to Congress
with veto. If he fails to return
bill within 10 days it becomes a
law, whether he signs it or not.
The Hatch bill was presented"
to the President last Saturday. 1t
was sent to the White House and
a receipt for its arrival signed. Sum-
days are not included in the 10 days
allowed the President to sign or
disapprove a bill. He has, there
fore, until midnight Thursday, Au-
gust 3, to take action on the
measure.
Early Adjournment Unlikely.
Should Congress adjourn prior to
Thursday midnight and thereby
prevent return of the bill to the
Senate with the Presidents dis
approval, a pocket veto" would be
possible, and the bill would not
become law. That Congress will
adjourn by the night of August 3,
however, is considered entirely un-
likely.
Any criticism that might lie
against the President for veto Of
the Hatch bill, it was pointed out
today. would be the same whether
he actually returned the bin to
Congress or whether he gave it a
pocket veto.
The National Civil Service Reform
League, in a telegram signed by EX-
ecutlve Secretary H. Eliot Kaplan,
urged the President to sign the bill.
Mr.. kaplan said it is urgently
needed to keep our civil service from
becoming unduly embroiled in po-
litlcal campaigns all over the coun-
try and to maintain public conf
dence in partisan, impartial
public service He said the league
had long advocated legislation sim
liar to the provisions of the Hatch