Evening star., 1950-02-09
Humphrey Bill TO Lift
Hatch Act Curb on All
Local Politics Studied
By Don S. Worren

proposals 10 amend the Hatch
clean politics" Act to permit
Government workers anywhere in
the country to engage in polit-
ical activities were under study
today on Capitol Hill.
House-Senate conferees. mean
while, were marking time on a
Senate move to lift the party pol
itics restrictions for Government
workers in the National Capital
area.
A meeting of the conference
group. scheduled for today, was
postponed until Friday of next
week because two members were
out Of the city.
The conferees today had before
them a bipartisan appeal from
nearby Montgomery and Prince
Georges Counties urging approval
OF the Senate version of the pend
ing bill. The appeal was in the
form of identical letters from
chairmen of the Democratic and
Republican State Central Com
mittees of the counties.
Senator Humphrey, Democrat.
OF Minnesota, an opponent of the
pending Senate-approved plan,
now in conference, raised the
question to the national level He
introduced separate bill to per-
NIT Federal workers anywhere to
engage in party politics in local
elections.
Asks Amendment Custer.
In doing so he urged the House
Senate conference to strike from
the pending bill the Senate
amendment dealing with the Ma
tlonal Capital and some other
sections. He asked that this ques-
tion be settled after hearings on
his bill.
Under his bill, Hatch Act limita-
tlons would apply hereafter only
to presidential, congressional and
Statewide elections.
Under present law, Government
workers may participate in local
elections, but only on an independ-
ent or non-partisan basis, and not
as stated members of a national
political party.
See Third Party" Group.
Sponsors of the Senate-passed
"Smith-Byrd amendment to the
pending bill argue that the non
partisan movement in suburban
Washington has become practical
ly a third party. They ask why
1t is fair to allow Government
workers to engage actively under
this banner when others may not
do so under a major party label.
The Humphrey bill carries jab
at conservative Southern Demo-
Gratis. The Minnesotan's measure
would leave the Hatch Act limita-
tions wherever local political
party regulations require a Fed
eral employe, as a condition to i
becoming candidate for office, to
vote for or support any candidate
tof the parity for (national and
State) Office"
Letter Goes to COnferees.
The Maryland letter was sent to
all conferees on the amendment.
1t said the Senate version was
desirable because it would permit
Federal employe participation in
local government under the two
party system.
Under the present law, as ad-
ministered by the Civil Service
Commission" the conferees were
told, Federal employees in nearby
Maryland and Virginia may be
active in local elections only if |
they oppose candidates of the two |
political parties. They may not
support such candidates"
The Civil Service Commission.
the letter continued. reaches this
absurd conclusion upon the equal
ly absurd premise that the Fed
eral employe is non-partisan if
he opposes, but partisan if he
supports the candidates of either
OF the two political parties
Signing the letter were j. Bond
Smith, chairman of the Mont
gomery County Democratic State
Central Committee; Charles S.
Early, ST., chairman of the COM
panion Prince Georges County
committee; Walter w. Dawson
and John r. Fletcher, chairmen,
respectively, of the Montgomery
and Prince Georges Republican
State Central Committees.