25
Louisiana Repeals
Civil Service Law
they will achieve.” The commissiori,vde-
sc ribes t^Le result s to be I ex a cted 11 rorii
adoption of the bill as,, follows:
o i l The complete emasculation of
I
thé fpT<^ejat<^nnlov^^^S^al OKO^dnré I
In defiance of protests from citizens
in every walk cawaffiMan^^Sefy part ^ S ^ h a t individuals holdiriH çiyniftSWB
ice positions may-be
of the'state made through civic, labor,
litiGSp
or for no
religious and professional organizations,,
.
rlllsbii
at
all
and
have
nojbrectiuraeffi
and in spite of I g ^ e B tm n pledges to
whatsoever.
supp<Sw:, the Louisiana legislature has
"2. ConcentratiOpin the hands of
voted to wreck the iraaTtelsg fineBlivil
one individual of the power to decide
service ^system by striking out several
employee appeals solel^Sand entirely, ¡.
provisionsof the 1940 civil service act
on the basis of his whim or caprice
which insured non-political adminis
without regard to evidence which not
tration.
only grants far too much potyer. to
The bill (k n o w n ^ B h e - Madden bill)
one person but also eliminates any
changing the 'Ciyil Serviced law, gives
chance for a fair and impartial de-
thM’governor control of the Civil Serv Tçision.
ice Commission by providing that he
"3. The change in the method of
shall appoint the commOioners direct
selecting
the members of the com
ly B n ste a d of from among nominees
mission which makes possible and
H eeted by the presidents of five uni-
probable the control of the commis
versities and colleges within the state,
sioners by the political faction in
and by removingfthe personnel director
power nor or in later administrations. I
(administrative officer of the commis-
"4. Transferring] to a politically
sion) from the classified civil service.
appointed civil service commission
Because the "state ciyil service commis
the authority to appoint a majority
sion appoints a majority of the mem
bers of the^N&w Orleans commission, H ] ’the members of t h d j l æ i l Service
Commission of Néw -Orleans, which
the bill would give the governor a large
gives the '^governor a considerable
amount of authority over that com
amount of control,’of the c i 3 service
mission also. It eliminates the present
system in that city. (This same con
requirements that dismissal of state em
dition will exist in Shreveport and
ployees be made for "just cause” ; gives
Baton Rouge after the next census.)
to the personnel director authority (now
"LjBlim ination of the requirement
Vested in the commission) to hear ap-
peS from employees on dismissals; and
that the state director of personnel
be in the classified service arid ap
strikes out the present requirement that
pointed through competitive exam
the employee be reinstated if it is found
ination, which makes possible and
that his dismissal was based on political
probable his selection on the basis of
or religious reasons.
political allegiance rather than tech
In a letter to the members of the
nical knowledge and experience.”
legislature, the state civil service com
— Excerpt from Good Government
missioners warned that the Madden bill
{July-August^
will substitute for the present state
civil service system the most completely
politically I controlled patronage - dis
Established at Salem in 1842, the
pensing system thé state has ever seen.”
They stated: "If this bill is passed and Willamette University, founded by ]
becomes law the members of the legis pioneer missionary, JaS&n
lature, having received this statement of come to Oregon in 1834, is the oldest
our opinion in the m atter, will be fully institution of higher learning west of
informed w ith regard to the results the state of Missouri.