Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-21
Senators TO Act
This Week on
$4,000 Jobs
Roosevelt AssuiIs,
Mcclellan Defends
Confirmation Plan
Ey J. A. OLEARY.

AtN SNALC lt u bNitb ldi y SpIilliiIt~
tee this week will decide the first
round in a new clash that broke
out yesterday involving President
Roosevelt and some members of
Congress over the Mcclellan bill
to require Senate continuation Of
all Government positions paying
81 500 or more.
The Presidents letter to Vice
President Wallace yesterday morn
ing, urging defeat of the bill on the
ground it would sweep away years
Of civil service progress touched
off a series of developments, in
Guiding these: &.
Senator Mcclellan, Democrat, Of
Tennessee fastened to defend his
bill, denying it involved politics and
expressing hope the President will
reconsider his letter to our distin-
guished Vice President and sign the
bill if it should be passed"
Mcclellan Cites Examples.
The President had drawn a dis
tinction between policy making Of
ilcials, who, generally, have been
subject to Senate confirmation, and
the vast number of technical and
scientific personnel" who receive
$4,000 or more.
In reply, Senator Mcclellan listed
10 high administration officials, who,
he said, are policy makers but not
confirmed by the Senate for the
functions they perform. Those he
listed are:
Mr.. Wallace, in his capacity as
head of the Board of Economic
Warfare; former Justice James F.
Byrnes, as director of economic sta
bilization; Harry Hopkins, special
assistant to the President; E. r.
Stettinius, jr., lease-lend admins
TRAITOR; Nelson Rockefeller, co-ordi-
nator of inter American affairs:
Donald Nelson, chairman of the
War Production Board; William M.
LETTERS, rubber administrator; James
M. Lands, director of civilian de-
tense; Elmer Davis, director of war
information, and Paul V. McNutt,
as chairman of the War Manpover
Commission.
Van Mugs Backs Bill.
Chairman Van Mugs of the Judi
clary Committee, which has the
Mcclellan bill, announced he is for
it 100 per cent" and expressed hope
the committee will act by Thursday.
On the Republican side of the
aisle, however, the administration
gained support. Minority Leader
McNary made known he is against
the bill, taking the view that if the
Senate confirms all of these appoint
ments, it will assume responsibility
Tor the way the appointees later
conduct their agencies.
The first move on the bill will
come tomorrow or Tuesday from a
subcommittee that conducted the
hearings. 1t consists of Senators
McCarran of Nevada, Mcfarland of
Arizona and Wheeler of Montana,
Democrats, and Austin of Vermont
and Ferguson of Michigan, Repub-
licanS.
Senator Mcclellan suggested re-
Gently that the bill might be
broadened to include all positions
paying $4,000 or more, but the sub
committee has not acted on this
yet.
Senators Mcfarland and Wheeler
said yesterday they are for the bill
IN principle, but both favored
amendments to protect the civil
service status of incumbents. Orig
lnally the bill carried four-year
tenure Of Office, but it was agreed
at the hearings to eliminate that so
mcumbentS would have to be con-
firmed only once, next July.
Points to Criticism.
Senator Van Mugs said that "the
daily mail of every member of the
Senate is filled with critical, bitter
letters, critlclzing our body for al
legged maladministration by heads
and members of different commits
Slons and bureaucratic administra-
tive agencies of Government. over
whose nominations the Senate alb
solutely has no knowledge or con-
troll" If Senators are to be charged
with such responsibility. he said,
they should have some voice in the
selections
After pointing out that the bill
would make mare than $4,000 posi-
tons subject to presidential nominal
ton and Senate confirmation, Mr..
Roosevelt wrote that he does not
have the time to examine the quail
flcationS of the individuals he would
thus have to approve. 1t is equally
evident, he added, that Congress
does not have the time. He con-
cluded, therefore, that Senate con-
firmation would either become a
rubber stamp process or a task of
such magnitude as to leave little
time for the conduct of legislative
business and to delay appointments
to essential war jobs
Congress last fall required Senate
confirmation of certain appoint
ments under the Manpower Com
mission and the President cited the
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