Evening star., 1949-11-10

which are a greater safeguard than atom
bombs.
Parents who think that religion need not
be taught to children are deceiving them
selves and will reap the reward OF their
unbehef. j. A. VOILRATH.
Executive Order Favoring Veterans
For Government Jobs Criticized
To the Editor Of The Star:
There is much discussion between veterans
and non-veterans over the fairness or un-
fairness of Executive Order No. 1889. Many
employees in Government service who have
been laid off through reduction n-in-force
directives have found their efforts to find
new jobs stymied by this order.
Executive Order No. 9889, issued August
20, 1947, stipulates that more than 20 Civil
Service positions, including messengers
elevator operators and postal employees be
restricted to veterans exclusively. No civilian
may compete for any Of these positions until
1852, and only then If no veterans are avail
able for competition to fill eligible registers.
This narrows job opportunities for nom
professionals in Civil Service to extreme
limits. This has worked hardships on de-
partmental heads as we'll as job-seeking nom
veterans. In cooperation with military
establishments to place as many of their
displaced career employees as possible, de-
partmental heads have found they were
unable to hire non-veterans for certain jobs
for which there were openings, and there
were no veterans available for these po-
sitions. Many have expressed dissatisfaction
over the soundness Of this order.
While it was wise to give the veteran
every right and privilege above that of the
non-veteran, the latitude of wisdom should
have included some provisions for the nom
veteran Civil Service employe. Despite our
policy Of short memories, it must be re-
membered that we could not have won
war II everyone had been in uniform. An
expert once said it took from five to ten
civilians on the home front to keep one
soldier supplied on the battlefront If you
take the word from most veterans, it occurs
that the civilians did respectable Job. At
the outbreak of the war, many civilians
employed in naval and military establish
ments sought to enlist though physically
ht they were denied the privilege Of en-
listing, and subsequently were placed in q
classification to preclude their being drafted.
They were told they were, "the men be-
hind the men behind the guns" and they
had to make the guns These people served
their Government and country in the ca
pacity in which their Government thought
best.
, Some Cases Not Meritorious.
On the other hand, many Of the privi-
legged veterans enjoy these benefits through
no merit OF their own. Many were unwill-
ingly drafted only after they had resorted to
every trick In the books to escape the draft.
Yet. these same veterans came home with
the right to displace the patriotic civilians
who unsuccessfully sought to enlist. This
presents q paradox Of misplaced justice and
wisdom In which you find right and wrong
so closely interviewer that 1t is hard to de-
termine just what side IS right. D..
The best argument to be advanced fAyors
the Civil Service career ernploye IN q limited
respect In Government and private indus
try, and in social welfare, the veterans have
been given top priority in consideration;
invitations to jobs or homes designate: "Vet-
Grams only; by the same token the civilians
willingly have surrendered their jobs to the
deserving veterans. Yet the civilians are
entitled to some means Of earning a iveli-
hood, especially the Civil Service employees
who have been displaced. But private in
dustry is reluctant to hire Government"
workers And then, the Government"
workers have no benefits in social security
and unemployment compensation. There
fore, the Government should not follow the
pattern Of private industry in placing re-
strictions on jobs to non-veterans; it has too
few Of them.
Executive Order No. 1889 virtually denies
displaced Civil Service employees right to
compete for livelihood In the capacity for
which they are qualified. Those jobs which
have been restricted by this order should
be open to all citizens. Citizens should not
be penalized because they were not taken
into the armed services. The veterans
preference point system could have been
sufficiently extended to cover greater lati-
tude Of wisdom. In these specific jobs, vet
erans claiming five point preference could
have been given ten; and veterans claiming
ten points preference could have been given
fifteen. This would have modified the
prevailing injustice existing in the current
pattern.
Many veterans are against such restrictive
legislation. They fought for the right of
citizens to enjoy what this order denies
them. WELBURN M. FRANKLIN
Delay In Public improvements
Prompts Sardonic Comments
To the Editor Of The Star: .sS
Your public spirited editorial relative to
pollution along the Potomac will probably
fa ia9sf f}vsao1v Sufays &c ror,,hJ1ehai Il,