Evening star., 1953-08-16
WoefuI Republicans
Sing Patronage Blues
As Jobs Fail 10 Show
BY the Assoeiafod Press

by the Associated Press
Despite two moves by Presi-
dent Eisenhower to make Gov
ernment jobs for Republicans
more plentiful, some COP Sen
ators are still singing the pa
tronage blues.
The Jobs simply are not open
ing up as fast as they would like,
these legislators say. They say
they are worried by countless re-
quests for jobs from Republicans
while thousands of Democrats
remain on the Federal payroll
under Civil Service protection
granted by previous admins
trationS.
Senator Watkins, Republican,
of Utah put it this way to a
reporter:
zone Of the cleverest and most
effective jobs done by the Demo-
Gratis in their 20 years in ofhce
was to make a Democrat spoils
system permanent"
Back on April I, the President
signed an executive order strip
ping Civil Service protection
from what a White House secres
tary called more than several
hundred" Government policy
making jobs. He thus opened
the way for presidential appoint
ment to these key places filled
during the 20 years the Demo-
Gratis were in power with persons
later blanketed into the merit
system without competitive ex-
animation.
Then, on June 2, the Presi-
dent issued another order re-
moving Civil Service protection
from thousands of Federal jobs
held by so-called specialists
and including hundreds OF at
torneys. This order called for
q review-still under way-ot
about $4,000 jobs to see which
should no longer come under
the merit system. { Veterans,
holding an estimated so per cent
Of these Jobs. were exempted.
The order in effect reversed a
1947 order by President Truman
hlanketing the Specialist" into
Civil Service.
To illustrate his complaint
Yesterday, Senator Watkins said
$4,000 workers make their living
in his State by Federal employ
ment. They work at Government
installations, in poStofices. in
regional offices of the Reclama-
ton Bureau, for the Soil Con-
servation Service, and other Fed
eral agencies.
So far, Senator Watkins said.
he has placed just two Republi-
cans in Office in Utah. United
States Marshal and a United
States Attorney.
Senator Watkins said the
Democrats set up a lot OF new
agencies under former Presidents
Roosevelt and Truman and filled
them, with Congressional ap-
proval. without regard to Civil
Service laws.
But later" he said. these
agencies were put under Civil
Service The trouble was, they
had already been packed by
Democrats.
One Senator asking not to
be quoted by name, said party
workers in his State are wearing
the corridor thin outside his Of
flee here in quest of jobs.
What can I do?" he asked?
Nothing. I just have to tell
them, things may get better"
Another Republican Senator
said:
Its a hell of a mess. We
don't have any jobs. period. Our
people back home worked for 20
years to elect Republican Presi-
dent. They just can't under
stand, now that they've done it,
why there isn't some reward
They'd be satisfied with very
little. But we can't even give
them that"
These Senators say they have
no bone to pick with President
Eisenhower. That it isn't his
fault. But they say explaining
the situation to a Republican
back home is difficult.
An indication Of the poor pa
tronage pickings can be found in
this statistic: Only IS postmas-
tiers were appointed and con-
frmed by the Senate during the
first session Of Congress. Last
year the Senate confirmed 764
postmasters, the year before l.
177-undoubtedly most OF them
Democrats.
The Civil Service Commission
abolished most of the registers
complied by the Democrats for
postmasterships, and is now
building up new registers. AL
though the stated reason for this
Is to encourage more efficiency
the real reason, of course, is to
get Republicans on the registers
which, for 20 years, have been
TANNED with Democrats.