Evening star., 1952-11-08
|G. 0. 10 Harvest Few
PIums in Agriculture
Department Shakeup

will yield a minimum crop of po-
litical plums for the new Repubi-
can Administration.
The mammoth Agriculture De-
partment has $1,000 full-time
employees. But nearly all of them
are under Civil Service and can
not be denoted.
Presumably out are Secretary
Brannan. Undersecretary Clar-
ence j. Mccormick, Assistant Sec
retary Knox T. Hutchinson, So
licitor w. Carroll Hunter. Ad-
ministrator Gus Geissler Of the
controversial Production and Mar
keting Administration, and a few
close associates Of each.
A lot Of lawyers, who do not
have Civil Service protection, also
may be ousted.
You can expect Republicans to
replace them.
State Posts at Stake.
Republicans presumably will re-
place Sttae PIMA committeeman
too. PIMA has three committee
men in each State-all appointed
by the Secretary of Agriculture
The starting pay in these jobs
is $7.040 annually. They help ad-
minister price supports, produc.
ton control and other key pro.
grams in their respective states
Nearly all the committeeman
now are Democrats. More than
any other Agriculture workers
they have been accused of usinl
their positions to further thu
Democratic Party's cause. Theil
replacement may come slowly. but
it is almost sure to come.
Political appointees also are eli.
gible for a number of jobs Suci
as directors Of the Commodity
Credit Corp, or special assistant.
in the Secretary's office. These
jobs, however, now are filled with
persons who also have Civil Serv.
ice status. So the Republicans car
not move them easily.
Heads of most of Agriculture:
administrations, bureaus anc
agencies are under Civil Service
because their jobs are as much
technical as policy-making.
Brannan to Return to Law.
Only the very top echelon 1:
appointed by the White House
Secretary Brannan. who started
with the Agriculture Department
in 1885 as an attorney in Denver
worked his way up to be Secre.
tary by 1948-and has been g
thin-skinned Republican target
ever since. When he leaves Agri.
culture, he plans to return to Den
yer to practice law.
Another career officer expected
to fall under the political ak i.
Undersecretary Mccormick, whit
joined the Agriculture Depart.
ment in the early New Deal days
Both Secretary Brannan ant
Undersecretary Mccormick hav,
Civil Service status that woult
qualify them for well-paying job,
ii they were available-and j.
the men could get hired under /;
Republican Secretary.
Assistant Secretary Hutchinson
was active in Tennessee farm
problems for years. but he wen
to the Agriculture Department
less than three years ago.
/ Others whose jobs are vulner
able are Manager John w. Brain
ard OF the Federal Crop Insur
ance Corp. and Administrato
billiard B. Lasseter of the Farmers
Home Administration.
200 Attorneys Employed
! Many attorneys are withou
Civil Service protection becaus,
Of a special law exempting them
The department employees abou
200 attorneys, but some have jo
: protection under previous legisla
Ition.
In addition to the $4,000 full
time employees. the Agricultur
Department has $4,000 part-tim
workers. Most of these are fores
workers or laborers on expert
mental farms, presumably EN-
ployed without political influence
In the District area, the Depart
inent employs 9.645 full-time per
sons-nearly all under Civil Serv
ice. The Department in this are
also employs 227 part-time work
. ers, mostly at the Beltsville (Md.
experiment station.
Republican spokesmen say the
do not intend to upset the Civ
:. Service workers. A number wi
be shifted around. although no
reduced in pay.