Evening star., 1940-03-20

POSITION On Ille
floor of the Charles G. Ross.
House, and if this opposition Is
overcome, the reason will not 10
any overpowering enthusiasm for
the bill, but the fear of some o. its
ill-Wisllers to stand up and te
counted against it.
Speaker Bankhead is against the
bill and Majority Leader Rayburn
thus far has remained non-com-
initial A great deal will deoend
on the attitude to be assumed by the
able and vigorous chairman Of the
Judiciary Committee, Representa-
tive Summers of Texas.
The ultimate fate of the pure
politics" bill, in short, is in DOUBT.
No one who watched the attemnted
sandbagging operation in the Sem
ate can be sure that it will survive
similar tactics in the House. That
58-to-28 vote by which it was passed
in the Senate would have been a
good deal closer if all the members
had voted as they prayed.
Mrs. Caraway's Stand.
There was, for notable example,
the case of the widow CaraWay,
Democrat, of Arkansas, whose heart
belonged right through the battle to
the opposition led by the ardent New
Dealer, Senator Minton of Indiana.
Mrs Caraway in private talks with
her colleagues made no bones about
the fact that she was going to vote
for every weakening amendment to
the bill-and then vote for the bill.
She did. Senators Josh Lee of Okla
homa, johnson of Colorado. Clark of
Idaho were some of the other Demo-
cratic sinners from the Hatch
purity" point Of view-who got re-
ligion only at the end.
Viewed from the strategic angle,
the fight led by Minton, from the
State with the famous per cent
club. was pretty operation It
might we'll have succeeded II 1t
hadn't been for the shrewd and per-
sistent fight on the other side by
Leader Barkley give him credit here
for fine job and the cool-headed
u6ltI vi OClldlOl 4ldlNilp
Democrat, of NV Mexico. whose
manifest sincerity was bright
spot in the political fog. Senator
Clark, Democrat. of Missouri, deny
ing that the bill in any way trenched
on States rights, gave them able as
sistance.
The City Argument.
Oddly enough, there's an argu-
ment against the Hatch bill that was
not mentioned on the Senate floor,
though Senator Adams Democrat, OK
Colorado was Influenced by it in his
voting. House members opposed to
the bill are expected to bring 1t up.
This is the contention that the pro-
posed weakening of the State po-
litical machines will operate to in
crease the relative strength OF the
city machines. like Tammany in New
York and the organizations OF Mayor
Dickmann m st. Louis. Mavor Kelly
in Chicago, Mayor Hague in Jersey
City
Generally speaking. city employees
draw their pay wholly from the
city; they are not in the same cate
CORY as the State employees. such as
those in the highway and social
security departments. who receive
Federal funds and who would be
barred by the Hatch bill from po-
litical campaigning. There are Con-
gressmen who profess to see in this
discrimination-an unavoidable one
a reason for voting against the
pending bill. Senator Adams said
he would vote against it because.
with the Federal employees OF his
State and a large number Of the
State employees put under curb. the
Denver city machine would become
an-powerful
The answer is that the Hatch bill
goes as far as it constitutionally can.
The rest is up to the States. If the
city machines are advantaged, the
fact is unfortunate, but it ought not
| to be allowed to weigh against the
unquestionably good features OF the
bill.
No Cure-All.
The bill, as l think, should be
passed. Certainly there is no reason
in morals for permitting State en-
ployes paid with Federal money to
engage in political practices for
hidden to Federal employees. But
the measure is no cure-all for the
evils of spoils politics. 1t is only
one step in the right direction. The
next step should be the extension
of the civil service system. The best
argument for the bill-and for the
law which preceded twas made
by Senator Hatch when he said that
once Federal employees have been
estopped from undue political ac-
tlvlty I'VE shall be enabled to work
out really comprehensive merit
system for all Federal employees"
To extend the merit system is
job that confronts not only the Fed
eral Government but the States. II
the pending bill becomes law and.
while mitigating one evil, enhances
another, the States have 1t in their
power to effect a cure.