Evening star., 1952-11-30
Few Signs Seen
Of Big 6. 0. P.
Patronage Boom
Personnel Changes
Likely to Be Few
Despite Broom Talk
By Crosby S. Noyes


from campaign oratory about the
efficiency of new brooms. For sew
eral reasons. however, they bear
little relation to reality.
The reasons,
l. The Republicans have rela-
lively few jobs of any attraction
to offer.
2. The volume of applications
for most of the available posi-
tions is less than overwhelming.
3. No one seems to be doing
much about setting up the heavy
administrative machinery which
any extensive turnover would de-
mand.
Early Changes to Be Few.
In short. it looks as though the
vast majority of the people who
have kept the Federal Government
working up to this point will still
be around after Gen. Eisenhower
moves into the White House in
January. The changes - at least
at the beginning - are likely to
be confined to the names on doors
of private Offices.
AS has been pointed out, about
95 per cent of the 2.5 million Fed
eral jobs are protected by Civil
Service. The people who hold them
today could be removed only for
cause, or by operating budget cuts
demanded by an economy minded
Congress. In either case there
would be little room for swinging
a patronage axe.
The leaves figure of something
like 125, 900 jobs on the Federal
payroll which might be considered
in the category of patronage. But
before anyone starts rubbing his
hands over the opportunities, it
might be we'll to point out that
many of these jobs don't offer
much to deserving party members.
Many Are Low Paid.
A large number of them either
call for high qualifications-such
as those of Chinese, Japanese or
Hindu interpretors-or offer small
financial rewards-such as chauf-
feurs, messengers boys and Coast
Guard lamplighters.
The fields that offer the richest
plums fall between these ex-
tremes. One might expect a rela-
lively brisk turnover in such un-
protected jobs as attorneys in all
government agencies, private and
confidential secretaries and court
officials.
OF the 25O.0O0 federal en-
ployes in the Washington area, it
has been estimated that only
about $4,000 or 10000 are political
patronage jobs. But just where
these jobs are to be found is. at
this point, anybody's guess.
One of the most noteworthy
things about the patronage today
is the startling lack of specific in
formation available to eager job
hunters. The Civil Service can goI
only to the point of passing out
totals in general categories of jobs.
Those who have attempted an
agency -by-agency breakdown have
not come up with any reliable
figures.
Far Cry From 1888.
This is far cry from the way
things were when the Democrats
took over in 1888. At that time
the agencies were required by
Congress to prepare a list of the
available jobs. It was in the
hands of Democratic officials in
all sections of the country we'll
before President Roosevelt took
over. II anything similar is be-
Ing planned today, no responsible
official is ready to admit it.
One reason why job applica-
tions this year are being kept
down is the high level of pros
perity throughout the country.
The last two changes of admin
lstratlon. in 1921 and 1888, came
at the depths of depressions and
party officials faced a real deluge
OF requests for work of all kinds.
The picture is different today.
There is no overdemand for the
less attractive openings and even
in filling his top posts Gen. Eisen-
hover may soon run into the
same kind of trouble that plagued
President Truman.
Observers here point out that
nothing is likely to be done soon
to bring the salaries of top Gov
ernment officials into line with
what they could make on their
own hook. Many outstanding Re-
puol1cans as we'll as Democrats,
tend to shun the publicity-favor-
able and otherWise-that attends
public office. Many others, par
tlcularly leaders in the scientific
held, are leery of having their
professional and personal reputa-
tions subjected to attack from
what David Lilienthal once de-
scribed as petty or prejudiced or
malevolent forces"
May Face Awakening,
In the course of his campaign.
Gen. Eisenhower frequently ex-
pressed his scorn of the notion
that there were not plenty of
qualified men willing and eager to
accept roles of responsibility in
the Government. Others argue
that after the first burst of en-
thusiasm for the new administra-
ton dies down. the general is in
for a rude awakening.
There is. of course, some &C
tivity within the G.. o. P. aimed at
oiling the job-dispensing machin-
cry. In New York, Gen. Eisen-
hover recently set up an Office to
screen applications before passing
them on to the national commit
tee here. In Congress, several
Senators, prodded by local party
leaders, have addressed fruitless
inquiries to the various depart !
ments and agencies.
But the handspring of the pa