Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-04-27
0'kahoney Substitute
Limits Confirmation 10
ssPoIicy-Making Jobs
sre Solory Yordstick Dropped
: & To Garry Out Minority
y, Views on Mcclellan Bill

A.. The Mcclellan bill, designed to re-
7, auire Senate. confirmation Of thou
a sands Of Government officials and
employees making 1880 or more a
l1 year. would be narrowed down to
:; Affect only policy makers appointed
outside of the competitive civil
.ayservice, by a substitute offered yes
: .terday afternoon by Senator OMa-
honey, Democrat, of Wyoming.
o., The bill, approved 10 days ago by
- q majority Of the Judiciary Commit
stee, also started out to affect only
policy making positions, but was
amended at the last minute to re-
7estore the provision requiring. con-
flrmatin Of all persons d. living
$500 or more, except artisans and
craftsmen.
Senators Ferguson, Republican, Of
Michigan, and LANCER, Republican,
of North Dakota joined Senator
: OMahoney IN yesterdays minority
report, which endeavors to safeguard
the merit system by drawing a line
between Officers" and employees"
and then restricting Senate action to
those officers who formulate govern
nent policies, as distinguished from
the thousands who merely perform
administrative duties.
Would Slash 27,715 Figure.
The majority report estimated
there we're PITTS persons at or above
the $500 level IN the Government
In November No estimate has been
made Of the number who would fall
within the definitions of the minor
ity substitute, but it is believed to
be. only a small percentage of the
277l5.
The O'Mahoney proposal elimi-
mates the salary yardstick and makes
the nature of the job the measure
Of whether confirmation would be
required. Policy-makers are defined
as: Heads, assistant heads and head
attorneys of departments and agen-
eies; heads Of divisions or bureaus;
heads and assistant heads OF re-
gional, area and State Offices. all
persons who write rules and regula-
tons and those who confer with
officials of other bureaus or depart
-nents for the purpose Of shaping
policies.
Backward Step Hit.
The minority report reads in
part as follows:
Surely the drafters of the Con-
stitution, who did not think it would
be necessary for the Senate to con-
firm all officers, did not at any time
contemplate that the time and at
tention of the Senate should be
given to the selection Of employees.
That has been the view Of the Su-
preme Court, which has held that
there is a difference between Off
GERS and employees. That, too, has
been the Judgment of the Congress
and the people who for more than
so years have Endorsed the principle
of g civil service based on merit
alone. The bill before us destroys
that concept, reverses the whole
principle OF the merit system and
places the selection of fully 10000
inferior officers and employees within
the political sphere. 1t is a step
backward which the Congress should
( not take. ,..'.s-s- .
'eThe sound principle of govern.
rnent administration is that those
officers whose duties are primarily
political. that is to say, policy form
ing, should be selected in the politi-
cal manner, that is by and with the
advice and consent of the Senate.
BY this means the people can bring
about an effective change of Gov
eminent policy whenever they de-
sire. Administrative officers and
employees whose functions are nom
political because not policy forming
should, on the other hand be Sc
ltcted by the merit system and
placed within the permanent civil
service"
i Debate. Expected in Two Weeks.
Senator OMahoney explained
that, while the substitute exempts
those who were appointed or pro-
NOTED through regular competitive
civil service procedure, it would not
prevent Senate confirmation of
those blanketed into civil service by
q recent act of Congress.