Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-06-29
Fight Seen
In Civil Service
Unit Over Firing

Romspeck Declares
| Mccormack DisIoyuI
For Releasing Letter
BY DON S. WARREN.
A bitter party line battle in tn.
House Civil Service Committee, ane
haps in the House, was in prospect
today over the suspension by Chair.
man Ramspeck Of the committeeI
chief investigator, Col. E. ]. McCor-
mack, for releasing 3,000-wore
attack on alleged maladministratior
Of civil service laws without priol
knowledge of the committee chair.
man.
Meanwhile, Senator Byrd, Demo.
crat, Of Virginia, leader of thu
drive in Congress to curtail Fed.
eral expenditures, has written Presi.
dent Truman for a cutback to {
a 44-hour work week, beginning
next week, for all Federal employe:
except those in the War and Navy
Departments. Senator Byrd ha.
charged manpower waste and mis-.
management in the Federal service
Chairman Ramspeck said the Nc.
Cormack statement, made in a let
ter addressed to him, the original
of which he had not yet received
charged me with misconduct, anC
1t was obvious that one of us had
to get out of the picture"
He said he considered Col. Nc
Cormack "disloyal" as we'll as guilty
Of improper conduct" and there.
fore would insist at the proper time
on his dismissal. When the de-
velopment came to light late yes
terday. Chairman Ramspeck an
nounced Col. Mccormack had been
suspended and placed on a "leave
with pay status" until further
notice.
Factors Back of Row.
Back of the row is the Mccormack
investigation report on charges OF
too rapid" raises in pay in the
Federal service in violation of civil
service rules. faulty" classification
of jobs by the Civil Service Com.
mission, and wide variations" ir
classification and pay in various de.
partments and agencies supposedly
performing the same type of work
Coupled also are categorical" de.
mails by Civil Service Commissioner
Arthur S. Flemming and repeated de-
clarations by Chairman Ramspecl
that he will not permit his commit.
tee to operate like the former Die.
Committee on un-American Activi.
ties land publish charges withou,
giving the accused a chance to b.
heard"
Promptly after Mr.. Ramspeck re.
leased his notice of his suspension
of Col. Mccormack, Representative
Rees, Republican, of Kansas, rank.
ing minority member of the Civil
Service Committee, issued a state.
ment charging "unwarranted dis.
missaI Of Col. Mccormack and laud-
ing the investigator as IAN able anc
conscientious employee" who hac
shown the courage ito resist all eff.
forts to whitewash investigations
Of the Civil Service Commission ano
the personnel practices of the Gov.
eminent.
If this means that investiga.
tons by the committee of the Civil
Service Commission and Other
agencies are to be whitewashed,
said Mr.. Rees, 81 think the investi.
eating STAFF should be eliminated
without further waste of Fedora
funds"
Mr.. Rees led an unsuccessful fight
on the House floor, when the Fed.
eral pay-boost bill recently wa.
pending, to force a report to the
House Of the Mccormack investi.
eating findings. This was resisted
by Chairman Ramspeck on severa
major points: First, that the inves.
tigation of alleged maladministra.
ton applied to individual cases
whereas the pay bill concerned itsel1
with jobs rather than with individ.
uals; second, that the report hac
not been completed, since additiona
information had been requested
and third, that when all the fact.
had been assembled action would bt
taken on the investigation findings
and that no "whitewash" was de.
sired. The House upheld Mr.
Ramspeck then by beating of lin.
iting amendments offered by Mr.
Rees and the pay bill was passed
by a thumpingly large majority.
Col. Mccormack, in his letter tc
Mr.. Ramspeck, asserted his report
was not incomplete, a direct denia.
Of the chairman's repeated state.
ments. Col. Mccormack also said
The categorical denial of the
spokesman for the commission, as
every one realizes, is the fervent
protestation of an official who re.
sents investigation. Not one scin.
tilla of substantiating evidence Is
offered by the commissioner (Mr
Flemming) to support the denial"
Sees Integrity Impeached.
'The crux of this situation" Col
Mccormack continued, "is that the
integrity of the investigations a.
conducted by the staff director -
is In question and under scrutiny
Regardless of the Importance of the
investigation, once substance i
given to the thought or hope OF thu
agencies or individuals under in.
vestigation that pressure can be
brought upon the staff, or that the
reports of the staff can be altered
to suit the Importance or whin
of the object of the inquiry, OF
that, through personal friendship OF
political circumstance, the staff re.
ports may be delayed or suppressed
then the integrity, not only of this
staff and the committee, but Of
the Congress, is impeached."
Col. Mccormack said If his re.
port contained any inaccuracies Il
was on the side of "understate.
ment." He said his probe covered
the salary histories Of nearly ESQ.,.
600 employees, dating back to 1910
and that he had found evidence
of "the spiraling salaries of many
Federal employees due to excessive
promotions, variations as to per.
sonnet policies and practices be.
tween agencies, and the lack Of