Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-04
.0ffice-Ho|ding
Ban Lifted in
NedrbyAreds
Civil Service Rules
Under New Hatch
Act Promulgated

The way was cleared today for
Federal employees residing in nearby
Maryland and Virginia once more 10
take part in purely local political
campaigns, and hold community
offices. as the Civil Service Commits
sion promulgated the regulations
under which this privilege may be
exercised, through the new Hatch
Act.
Announcing that Arlington Coun-
ty was the first place to qualify
for restoration of the privilege
which inadvertently was revoked
by the old Hatch Act, a year ago,
the commission said it "has decided
that with respect to communities
to which the privilege formerly ex-
tended, restoration of the right of
Federal employees to participate in
local political matters may be
granted upon formal application
from the community concerned. with
presentation of evidence showing
that conditions have not changed
materially since the privilege was
last exercised"-that is, that the
domestic interest" of the employees
warrants this participation.
Must Be Purely Local.
THE granting of this privilege by
the Civil Service Commission is SUBJ
ject to the same conditions which
were formerly imposed it was
added. 1T is of course required
that political activity and elections
be conducted in such a way that
the campaign and. resulting political
management be strictly non-par-
tisan in character. Offices coming
within the scope of the program
must be purely local Offices. the
duties of which do not involve State
or national partisan politics.
Communities seeking this priv
ilege for the first time, the COM
mission says, must be in the i'm
mediate vicinity of the National
Capital in the States of Maryland
and Virginia or in municipalities
the majority of whose voters are
employed by the Government of the
United States. 1t must be shown
that it is in the domestic interest
Of the Federal employees residing in
these. communities to De active"
Federation Sought Right.
The Arlington County Civic Fed
Grafton made the application on
which the commission granted the
first political rights restoration, and
spokesman of like authority in other
communities will be recognized for
this purpose.
Julian A. Simpson, chairman of
the Federation Committee which
sought and obtained the ruling,
said today that 1t puts us right
back where we were before enact
ment of the act, as far as we can
see" He pointed out that the
ruling comes in time for the Ar
lington residents affected to take
part in the forthcoming local cleo
ton of a county board member.
Other members of the Arlington
federation's committee were AL
bert A. Carretta and I. Chance
Buchanan.
Until the Hatch Act interfered, civil
service employees for many years had
enjoyed local political rights by
virtue of executive order, under the
supervision of the Civil Service
Committee. When the law BAN
ming political activity was passed
it was ruled that employees already
in Office could serve out their terms,
but they we're denied the right to
seek reelection. The same restric-
ton was imposed on non-civil serv-
ice employees by an Attorney Gen.
eral ruling.
The new law makes this form of
activity by both Civil Service and
non-Civil Service workers subject
to the Civil Service Commission.