The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1940-11-14

do political missionary work-not
without violating that law.
A peculiar feature Of the situa-
tion is that very few complaints
Qess than 100. from all over the
country were received in Wash
lngton while the campaign was
raging. Yet. during the same Pc
Rod. the capital simply was
swamped with queries concerning
Gne points Of the law, which is
new thing and not al all fully I'M
derstood in detail
The general conclusion is that
party organizations were holding
up outright accusations as post
election ammunition, in the event
OF their sides defeat at the polls.
whichever way. It's taken for
granted that now the howls viii
pour in from both camps. In local
tiles which went Republican the
yelps presumably will come from
Democrats and vice versa. 1t isn't
alone the presidential issue that's
involved. Congressional fights are
TO be considered. too.
IN short. more contests for con-
gressional seats are predicted than
ever before in American history.
I mean contests to prevent the
seating Of nominal winners.
Removals to Be Sought
Efforts also seem certain to be
made for the removal Of shoals of
civil servants, charged with perni-
cious campaign activities. Hither-
to the civil service commission has
not necessarily had to dismiss a
convicted offender II could repri-
mand him only. Under the Hatch
law dismissals the penalty.
There's another difference.
though Previously the commits
sion had the last word. 1t could
acquit or penalize as it saw fit.
The Hatch law permits an appeal
by the alleged culprit to the courts.
1t may seem as if most OF our
civil servants should have been
mainly pro-Roosevelt during the
last campaign, since the New
Deals been on the job for hard
onto. eight years. during which
lot of them got their positions I'M
der its auspices.
Still, plenty OF them are hold
overs from earlier than 1882.
Moreover, many recent appointees
haven't sympathized with the New
Deal. Living in Washington, where
they're thicker than hops, l know
dozens Of them at least. and not a
few Of them were ardently pro-
Willkie while the fight was on.
They were pretty careful not 10
say so after the Hatch law enact
ment, but -hey'd divulge it in con-
fidence.
I'm acquainted with enc in par
ticular. in quite an important post.
who whispered any amount of
Willkie-McNary propaganda into
my car He always took me into
an especially dark corner to do it.
but I'd guarantee that he did the
same thing with all his other
friends whom he thought he could
trust. His position was such that
he could spill a deal Of anti-admin-
istration information, too.
Other Side, Too
And. Of course. there were coolies
Of pro Administrationists engaged
in the sam thing.
shant peach on my friend, but
there are others who doubtless will
on theirs. All told, I'd gamble that
they'll start a volume of investiga-
tons 70 keep all available commits
sions and committees and courts
busy for some time 10 come.
The English system is a tighter
one than ours.
In England a civil servant IA
postoffce worker. for instance)
hasn't event. vote He's out of
political life altogether. II he so
much a peeps politics. he's canned.
The ateiif---f's r''a--gra vitatcs us
somewhat in that direction. but it
doesn't arrive so completely at its
destination.
don't quite like the idea Of de-
priving a citizen Of his franchise
because he works for the govern
ment Yet It does more or less
simnlifv matters. A chap who
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