Evening star., 1953-05-09
The Political Mil
The Political Mill
Patronage Cry Recalls
Similar Situation in '33
In Those Doys, Democrats
Shouted, Throw 'em Out
By Gould Lincoln

BY Gould Lincoln
Job-hungry Republicans, including
members Of Congress who like to dis
penSe patronage" are crying because
the Eisenhower administration has not
gotten rid of Democratic officeholders
fast enough and replaced them with
deserving Republicans. Democrats, on
the other hand, including members of
Congress. charge that Eisenhower is
getting rid of career men" and destroy
ing the merit-SyStem civil service.
These cries of anguish differ little, ex-
cept in volume, from those heard in
1888 when Franklin D. Roosevelt and
the Democrats took over the Federal
Government after IL years Of Repub-
lican rule.
One thing the Roosevelt Democrats
and the Eisenhower Republicans had in
common. Both were elected on plat
forms pledging economy in Government
and "cutbacks." Roosevelt came into
office when the country was in the midst
of a terrible depression; Eisenhower,
when business was good and employ
ment high. President Eisenhower, how
ever. finds the country with a huge
public debt, huge Government expendi-
lures and deficits, and heavy burden
of taxation.
There was plenty of advance notice
in 1888 that the Democrats were going
to take as many Government jobs as
they could lay their hands on Long
before Roosevelt came in and Hoover
went out, the Democrats in Congress had
the Civil Service Commission prepare a
list of all the Government employees
who had civil service status, and for
that reason were considered immune,
and those who had no such status. The
Republicans. with Eisenhower taking
over the presidency, got q similar list
from the Civil Service Commission.
Every one understood the reason for
preparing these lists. In June, 1888,
about four months after Roosevelt en-.
tered the White House. the total num-
ber of Federal civil employees was $685.
432. of whom 456,096 had civil service
status and ,109,336 did not. Eighty per
cent had the protection of civil service
status. Today, the total number of
employees is something over 25 million
and between 90 and SO per cent are
under civil service.
Shoe on Other Foot.
The right of an administration-that
is, the President-to f1ll "policy-mak-
ing" jobs in the executive branch Of
the Government is freely admitted by y
the late President Roosevelt's chief
political adviser in those days of 1888,
James A. Farley, then Postmaster Gen.
eral and chairman of the Democratic
National Committee. That is a right
now claimed for the Eisenhower ad-
miniStration. The criticism Is that
career men" are being let out either
on the ground they hold policy making
jobs, or because the administration
wants the jobs for it's friends.
The Roosevelt administration 20
years ago moved quickly to fill the top
jobs-and other more important Offices.
But many of the thousands of other
places took time to fill. President
Roosevelt had legislative program
to meet emergency conditionS-which
had to be put through. 1t was the rea-
son given for delay in dealing out the
patronage - the administration just
didn't have time to work on appoint
ments. Angry Democrats charged that
the President was taking no chances
with his legiSlation-he was not pass
ing out the pie" until the Congressman
had voted his program. He did not ap-
point any postmasterS, for example, in
that first period of his administration.
Democratic House members set up an
organization to get jobs for their con-
StituentS, still held by Republicans.
In considering applicants for ap-
pointment, Mr.. Farley let it be known
there was a distinction among Demo-
crats-thoSe who we're for Roosevelt
before Chicago" that is before his
nomination, and those who we're for
him after his nomination. Practical
politics-but at the same time Mr.. Far
ley and the President tried to obtain
qualified men.
Committed to an economy program.
the Democrats allowed some of the jobs
to die-and thus got rid of Republic
cans. Many Republicans handed in
their designations. They knew what
to expect. While the Democrats kept
their hands off the civil service status
employees, they got an order on July
25 1888, from the Civil Service Com
mission removing 376 employees of the
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Com
merce from the list of protected civil
employees.
Built Up by Hoover.
This was bureau which had been
built up by President Hoover. An ex-
ecutive order somewhat later removed
from the civil service rolls LAS en-
ployes of the Division of Investigation,
Department of Justice-the FBI. Still
another executive order took lit en-
ployes at the Soldiers Home at john
son City, Tenn, from the civil service
lists. These are merely examples Of
what the Democrats were able to dos
in the way of getting the Republicans
out of office-and Democrats in.
Roosevelt put into effect a Is per
cent salary cut for all Government
in an economy move that
first year. That. however, was the last
heard Of economy. The New Deal pro-
gram changed-and by 1886 the num-
ber of Government jobholders had in
creased to 824,259, of whom 325,534
did not have civil service status New
agencies and Government employees
In later years. the intrenched
Democrats had vast number of en-
ployes placed under civil service
many of them obtaining that status
through non-competitive examinations.
The Democrats intend to hold on to
as many of the Government jobs as
they can. In their opinion, IS or 20
years service should certainly mako