Evening star., 1939-08-13
Continued From First Page.)

take any active part in politica
management or campaign"
Previously, this obligation has
been imposed in seeking office:
In the exercise of this privilege
officers and employees must not neg
lect their official duties and must
not engage in National, State OF
county political activity in violation
of civil service rules"
Rule Given in 1883.
up to the time the Hatch Act
was signed" the commission said in
explanation of the new ban. "the
political activity of classified en-
ployes was governed in part by civil
service rule /, issued by the Presi-
dent under authority of the Civil
Service Act of 1888"
Then quoting this rule, which
bars use of official influence in an
election, and limits political opinion
to private expression, the statement
concluded:
1T was legally possible and also
advisable, because of local condi-
tions, to make certain exceptions to
rule l. For example, employees in
the executive civil service perma-
nently residing in certain localities
adjacent to the District of Colum-
bia, have for many years been per-
mitted by executive order to become
candidates for or to hold municipal
Office. A large proportion of the
population of those communities
consists of Federal employees.
"a new situation, however. arises
under the Hatch Act. AS it is an
act of Congress, exceptions to it
cannot be made under an executive
order. The only exceptions which
could be made would be by action
of the Congress itself"
Want Ban Lightened.
The first rumble of discomfort
over the ruling came from Garrett
Park, in Montgomery County, where
Mayor Roy P. Moore declared that
he would suggest to the Municipal
Officers Association, made up of
eight Montgomery towns, that an
effort be made to have Maryland
Senators Tydings and Radcliffe and
Representative Byron of the sixth
congressional district seek an amend
nent to the Hatch Act to tighten
this ban. The proposal will be laid
before the league next month.
Very often it is extremely difficult
to get conscientious, able candidates
to run for on-remunerative mu-
nicipal positions, and if the Hatch
bill is not amended at the next ses-
sion of Congress to exempt Federal
employees, the situation will be even
more perplexing," Mayor Moore
said.
The Garrett Park executive, who
Is county employe and not af-
fected by the act, said he knows of
only one town in the county where
partisan politics figure in municipal
elections. Even there, he added,
this is not apparent on the surface
Rockville, Barnesville and Brooke
vile are the only Montgomery
towns which do not have some Fed
eral workers as officials.
Other communities are expected
to follow the Montgomery lead.
Move Unsuccessful.
Arlington County leaders saw the
possibility of the ban on Office hold
ing being applied at the time the
Hatch Act was in Congress, and
sought to have an amendment that
would safeguard their rights intro
duced by Representative Smith.
Although both Senator Hatch and
Representative Dempsey, New Mex
leo Democrats, who sponsored the
new law, favored this amendment,
it was not pressed by Representa-
tive Smith, who said at the time
he did not believe it was necessary.
The Civil Service Commission
ruling created a problem for Falls
Church that will await a further
ruling, as the Mayor and four men,
bers of the City Council either have
been reelected or newly elected for
the term beginning September /,
and their right to take Office is in
the doubtful category.
Another question that will arise
is the status of officials who are ap-
pointed by some elective body-such
as a council. For example, at the
model community" Greenbelt, Roy
S. Braden, the community man
ager for the Farm Security Admin
istration, is the Town Councils elect
ed town manager, drawing $500
from the F. S. A. and $1,000 from
the town budget. incidentally, 70