Evening star., 1940-11-03
Strings Attached to Many Jobs
Presidents Have for Patronage
Sudden Turnover in 100000 Non. Civil Service
Positions Under New Setup
Not Very Practicable
By J. A. Fo1.

The upper-bracket jobs-in the 5000
$4,000 range-have increased, and thou.
stands of persons without civil service
status have been hired In the old-line
agencies which traditionally were stated
from Civil Service Commission registers.
AS the patronage brigade started look
ing around, the immediate objectives
doubtless would be Treasury, Justice and
Post Office. The principal Treasury
offering is "a internal revenue collector
ships, involving the privilege of appoint
ing 5000 deputies. There also are the
attractive billets of customs collector-5l
in number.
The Justice Department seemingly has
inexhaustible opportunities for special
assistants to the Attorney General, but
more sought after are the four-year
appointments as United States attorney
and marshal in "a districts, which also
carry the right to name several hundred
assistants
Postal Patronge Reduced.
The hunting will not be so good in the
Post Office Department. Due to the
passage of the Ramspeck- o Mahoney
Act, which put postmasters under civil
service, more than $500 now are in for
life reducing the one-time patronage
possibilities by approximately so per cent.
Interestingly, the Post ONCE Department,
which accounts for about third of the
total executive agency personnel, has but
fraction of its force outside of civil
service
In the State, War and Navy Depart
ments political pickings always are slim.
Ambassadors and ministers are more
than likely to come from the ranks of
liberal campaign contributors, but the
Rogers Act of 1924 removed diplomatic
and consular posts up to and including the
rank of counselor and consul general,
respectively, from the field of political
preferment, and the State Department
foreign service, while not subject to
civil service law, is protected by legisla-
ton rigidly restricting entrance require
ments. Under ordinary circumstances,
the administrative forces of War and
Navy are small with service officers
heading up all the important units Now,
as the defense program creates increas-
ing needs, personnel is being recruited
from any source that the demand
dictates.
Labor, likewise, has relatively few posi-
tions that are exempt from civil service
requirements. Commerce reported ap-
proximately $500 exempt positions at the
end of June-the last date for which
figures are available-due in great part
to the decennial census. Agriculture
on the same day was above 64, 700, and
interior, 2480O.
Huge Agriculture Stats.
While seasonal labor accounted in
good part for the figures in both Interior
and Agriculture, the latter has outside
of civil service the huge stats of the
Agricultural Adjustment Administration,
Farm Security Administration, Farm
Credit Administration and Rural Electri-
fication Administration, whose tenure
might depend less on politics than on
the farm policy of new administration.
TOllCy Will ltSdIu W UilC CQCl al oCSul
ity and Federal Works Administration
and the Federal Loan Agency would be
likely to have an important bearing also
on the future of the thousands Of work.
ers in these establishments who do not
have civil service protection.
Because the heads of the independent
agencies generally serve staggered
terms, a new administration would be
out of luck in making early changes in
the high command of two New Deal
organizations that have been the center
of bitter controversy-the Labor Rela-
tions Board and the Securities and EX-
change Commission. If President Reese
welt fills the Labor Board vacancy Gre
ated by the resignation of Chairman j.
Warren Madden. two of his appointees
would outlast the first term of new
President, as they serve five years. and
one incumbent, William M. Leiserson,
already is slated to remain In office
until June. 1945.
In the five-member Securities Com
mission, where the term also Is five years,
the first to expire will be that of Robert
E. Healy, next June.
In the Tennessee Valley Authority
which embraces the utilities properties
over which Mr.. Willkie battled the Gov
ernment when he was head of Com
monwealth e. Southern, the directors
serve nine years, and the first change
could not be made until 1912 when the
time of Chairman Harcourt A. Morgan
is up David E. Lilienthal is in Office
until 1e45, and James E. Pope until
l948