Evening star., 1940-11-03

II Wendell L. willkie wins the presi-
dency, the incoming administration will
have the greatest reservoir of patronage
on record in which to dip-but with
strings attached.
In contrast to the situation eight years
ago, when the Democrats were out beat
ing the bushes for stray jobs until they
hit on the happy thought of stating the
alphabetical agencies with political
appointees, the Republicans would come
into power with Federal employment
swollen beyond the million mark, and
some 100000 jobs in this vast array out
side of civil service, and theoretically
available for the taking. The process Of
acquisition would not be that simple,
however.
To start with it is safe to say that
sudden turnover of such proportions
would not even be considered, much less
undertaken, for to GUST abruptly thou
sands of trained workers and replace
them with unframed men and women
would be to invite a disastrous break
down of governmental machinery. Fur
ther, the heads of major commissions
and boards generally are serving Statu-
tory terms, which protect them from
summary removal, and prevent the
breaking up of the forces under them
which lack the protection of civil service.
But there still is another angle to be
considered In the present instance, and
1t may develop that it carries the most
weight No matter how the election
turns, the Senate will remain Democratic
for at least two years, and it is conse-
uuently, to hostile chamber, that Mr..
Willkie would have to look for conflrma-
ton of huge bloc of important appoint
ments. Only infrequently has it hap
pened that President has been in such
a predicament, but twice in recent his
tory. On both occasions, however, the
Presidents, Woodrow Wilson and Herbert
Hoover, had trouble. Fortunately, they
did not have to combat adverse congress
sional majorities until the end of their
term. and by that time, virtually all
appointments had been disposed of but
the routine grist of poStmasterships. The
plight of President just entering office
would be much more difficult.
House May Be Ace in Hole.
The saving factor in this situation
might be the election of a Republican
House, which would give the admins
tration an ace in the hole through con-
troll of the purse-strings.
Whatever the obstacles, 1t is certain
that Jobs would be available at salaries
ranging from a few hundreds to sub
stantial thousands, and the number
would run high, although passage OF the
Ramspeck BILL even at this late date,
might cut into the total.
The first appointees in an administra-
ton are the cabinet members, and as
President Mr. Willkie could reasonably
expect to have his choices for these 10
posts ratified, even though the Senate
on occasion has been known to balk.
Three new offices of near-cabinet status
also are at the disposal of the Chief
Executive-Federal Loan, Federal Works
and Federal Security administrators
and early changes would be in prospect
In these, if the functional groupings
were continued on the present basis
The immediate White House organiza-
ton, which has been expanded to take
In the Budget Bureau, also would be in
line for a shake-up.
Cabinet aides, principal legal officers
and heads of many important bureaus.
usually characterized as policy making"
officials, would give way to successors of
the same political faith as the admins
tration; the public printer also serves
at the pleasure of the President.
Changes in other key positions further
down the scale follow, administrators
usually desiring to surround themselves
with personal staffs of their own choos-
ing.
In the past, civil service regulations
have prevented too-free application of
this DISQUALIFICATION policy, and,
once past the upper brackets, new ad-
ministrations have not had partlcu-
larly wide field in which to operate.
1900 Cream of Crop Jobs.
For example, in March, 1888, when
executive agency personnel stood at the
modest level of $4,000, there were 1O8,-
200 positions outside of civil service, and
the cream of the crop-the presidential
sppointments-numbe only about
1900, including $4,000 postmasterships
In first, second and third class offices.
This list included other patronage of
varying degrees of attractiveness, but it
also covered thousands of places too in
consequential to figure in patronage con-
siderations
The picture has changed in 1910.