SPOILS

All those still faithful to the ideology and principles of the New Deal should be required to real Lawrence Sullivan's article in the latest Atlantic Monthly. Perhaps the facts would not convince them that Roosevelt's aims and ends were not progressive, forward, just, patriotic, and sincere. But at least they would realize what, besides several billion dollars, the country was paying for its higher life and new vision. The end may be social justice, but the means, Mr. Sullivan proves with facts and quotations, is the extension of inefficiency, corruption, and spoils in the national administration such as has not been equalled since Andrew Jackson.

"Patronage is a reward to those who have worked for party victory. It is also an assistance in building up the party machinery for the next election." Thus wrote Mr. Farley in July, 1933. Since that time the present administration has added over 234,000 employees to the direct full-time payroll of the Federal Government. Of this new personnel one in every 107 has been brought under the merit system; the other 106 are part of our new and greater spoils system.

On top of these new jobs there have been roundly 61,500 replacement of personnel in anti- New Deal agencies. This is the first real check which the merit system has suffered since its introduction in 1883. With the exception of the second Roosevelt every President, even Wilson, working under the pressure of war-time demands on administration, has extended the scope of the merit system, so that by the end of Hoover's administration 80% of the government employees were included. In appalling contrast, at the close of the fiscal year 1935 the percentage of competitive places had dropped to 57, approximately the ratio which prevailed in 1906-1908.

The morale of the whole Federal personnel has been broken; no one knows at whom the finger of the genial and assiduous Mr. Farley will point next. The achievement of taking the civil service out of politics and professionalizing it, won laboriously over half a century, has during the last three years to a large extent been thrown away.

Not only has the President been cognizant of this policy but there can be no doubt that he has favored and abetted it. Appointments to Federal jobs, the reallocation of agencies and their withdrawal from civil service rules, could be accomplished only under his signature.

But there are two sides to every question. In order to finish on a reassuring note, to leave us with a happy and renewed faith in the sincerity and honesty of our government, Mr. Sullivan concludes with a few words from the mouth of the President himself.--"The merit system in Civil Service is in no danger at my hands; but on the contrary, I hope that it will be extended and improved during my term as President.