Evening star., 1944-11-18

machine" as though such a machine
existed. They talk Of the "vast
horde of Federal jobholders,'
sometimes numbering this horde ir
millions, as though these Fedora
workers not only voted for the ad-
ministration's candidates but spent
an important part Of their time
gathering in the votes of their
friends.
Maybe there was time wher
that kind Of talk had some relation
to the truth. If so, it has long
gone by. Civil Service and the
Hatch Act have made 1t impossible
to know the political color of any
Government employe who doesn't
wear his politics on his coat lapel
The Democratic political organiza-
tions, regular and volunteer, had to
get out and scramble this year just
as earnestly as the Republican or
ganizations did for a share of the
Federal workers votes.
Nearby Vote Cited.
The tale is told by the returns
from Maryland and Virginia coun-
ties lying next door to the District
This metropolitan area of Wash
1ngton contains thousands of Gov
ernment workers. Maryland and
Virginia went Democratic as usual,
yet look at what these nearby coun-
ties did: In Maryland, Montgomery
County gave Mr.. Dewey a majority
of 1853 and Prince Georges County
gave Mr.. Roosevelt majority of
only 242; in Virginia, Fairfax
County gave Mr.. Dewey a majority
of 464, Arlington County gave Mr..
Dewey majority of 1882, and Mr..
Roosevelt carried Alexandria by
only 986 votes.
The greater part of Government
employees outside of Washington at
this time are temporary war work.
ers, including those in arsenals,
navy yards and similar plants. The
PAC may have been effective
among these voters, but the Demo-
cratic organization as such COM
peted for them on no better than
even terms with the Republican
organization.
The great Federal political ma
chine still held up with pious horror
by persons now endeavoring to ex-
plain the election result simply
does not exist.
Come another Republican admin
istration, however, the Federal ma
chine will inevitably be revived in
one OF its phases. 1t is certain to
have an important part in the en-
suing Republican nominating con-
vention by virtue of its control
of the delegations from Southern
States. In the Northern States
Federal patronage will continue to
have relatively small influence COM
pared with State, county and city
political patronage. But in the
Southern States the only public
Offices or jobs available to Repub-
icans will be Federal jobs, bestowed
by the Republican President.
Undone by Hatch Act.
This explains why Theodore Roose-
welt, as President. could deliver the
Southern State delegations to Will
liam Howard Taft and why Mr..
Taft, as President, could deliver
them to himself, regardless of
Theodore Roosevelt's opposition. 1t
explains also why Franklin D.
Roosevelt could not deliver the
Southern delegations to himself, for
q fourth term, a TIN Y. term, or even
q second term. Coo Hdge could do
1t and did, Hoover could do it and
did, each for his own second NOM
nation; but it cannot be done by
any Democratic President against
the wishes of the strong State and
local political organizations.
When the Virginia delegation
went to Chicago last summer deter
mined to vote for Harry Byrd,
Roosevelt supporters had nothing
but sweet reason to offer them and
that wasn't enough. The same
would have been true in the case of
other Southern delegations If any
Of them had been equally deter
mined to be funny.
II ~