THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 p. o. Box 618
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER .Editors
S1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the postoffice
at Nome. Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Wednesday, June 16, 1948
WHAT IT MEANS:
THE BAN ON FEDERAL EMPLOYEE ACTIVITY
THIS BEING A CAMPAIGN YEAR, the govern
ment is warning about 2,000,000 federal and other
public employees not to play politics.
Signs posted in government buildings in Wash
ington and throuqhout the nation are headed by the
word "WARNING" in big black letters. Underneath
this word the signs say:
"Political activity of federal employees prohibited
by law"
and—
"Political activity of certain employes of a state
or local (city) agency prohibited."
The United States Civil Service Commission is dis
tributing these warnings and telling officials to
post them conspicuously.
In a town like Washington, where politics are the
vitamins of social life, this may sound like the pot
calling the kettle black. The big shots can play
politics but the little people can't. But there are
good reasons for the "no politics" rules. They are
written into the civil service regulations and are
contained in a federal law, The Hatch Act. A proven
violation is punishable by dismissal from the fed
eral service.
One reason for the rules is to prevent the building
up of a great political "machine" among federal!
employes and the hundreds of thousands of other
persons employed by state or local authorities on!
projects sustained in whole or part by federal mon
ey. The 2,000,000 federal employes and their fam
ilies alone represent 7,000,000 or more votes. If each
was for the same candidate and persuaded only a
friend or two concerning his vote, the total number
of votes involved, or "influenced" might be over
10.000. 000. This would have been a big chunk of the
48.000. 000 votes cast in the 1944 Presidential elec
tion.
The law doesn't forbid employes to discuss el
ections and candidates privately with their families
and friends. But it does forbid outright electioneer
ing, like making a speech.
The danger of creating a formidable federal ma
chine was apparent as long ago as 1801, when a
presidential directive by President Thomas Jeffer
son forbade non-elected federal employes from en
gaging in politics. The civil service rules have con
tained a "no politics" clause since the commission
was established in 1883. Briefly the rules are:
1. Civil service rules apply to all civil service em
ployes in Washington and other cities. The great
majority of federal workers, outside the military,
come under them.
2. Most other government employes come under
the Hatch Act.
3. Neither the law nor the civil service rules ap
ply to the President, vice president, cabinet officers
or other top law-making (congress) and law-inter
preting (judges, etc.) branches of government.
4. The Hatch Act also covers employes of state or
local governments, highway departments, that ob
tain all or part of their funds from the federal govern
ment.
5. In general, an employe can't serve in any of
ficial political capacity or make campaign speeches
or solicit political funds. He can't run for political
office if party politics are involved.
6^ The employes are permitted to take part in lo
cal elections not run on a party basis. As an in
stance, one might be a candidate for a school board
| if none of the candidates was running as a member
of a political party, and no party issues were
raised.
7. The rules and the law forbid individuals from
expressing a political opinion at a private gather
ing such as a bridge party.
Federal offenders are dealt with by the Civil
Service Commission. If it is proved that an individ
ual violated tlie civil service rules or the Hatch Act,
the commission must discharge him. The commis
sion is given no other choice. The commission also
may decide about the guilt of a state or city em
ploye, but it can't discharge him. It informs his
boss of his guilt. If his boss doesn't fire him, the com
mission may cause a sum of money, equal to two
years' pay for the individual found guilty, to be
withheld from the federal money due the state or
local abency.
Since the Hatch Act was approved in 1939 there
have been 392 complaints against state and local
employes and 1,218 against federal workers. There
have been 117 federal employes discharged. Nine
teen state or local employes have been ordered
discharged. One of the stingers that really hurts
is a ruling that the law even covers such events
as Jackson Day dinners, the annual Democratic
pow-wows held in all parts of the country. One
federal employe was prosecuted this year because
he was selling tickets to a dinner.
BRITISH CARS FILL BILL
Views oi a British motorist
(Part One)
AUTOMOBILES — motor cars — are among Brit
ain's most successful exports at the present time,
and as our most pressing need is dollars there is
much hard thinking on the problem of selling our
cars in the American market.
The American automobile represents wonderful
value for money. It is fast, roomy, and cheap to buy.
Many people in Britain are asking whether we can
hope to sell our cars in the United States against
such formidable home competition.
Technical differences
Let us compare briefly the American car. with the
British. American cars developed in a country
where, outside the towns, many roads were badly
surfaced or not made up at all. Car bodies were
therefore slung high to give good road clearance.
Britain is a much smaller country, and the roads,
even in rural districts, are well-surfaced. But they
wind much more than roads in the states. A low
built car holds the road very much better on bends
and corners, and as the British car evolved it came
to be built, in contrast to the American, with a mini
mum of road clearance.
CHRISTMAS SEAL
AID PATIENTS
IN SANATORIUM
SEWARD, —The cavalcade of
Christmas seals bought by Amer
ican dollars isn’t only a seasonal
campaign, but a method to pro
vide Christmas throughout the
year for hapless Americans whose
lives have been disrupted by the
scourge of tuberculosis.
Seward Sanatorium, an ade
quately provided tuberculosis san
atorium m Seward, Alaska, has
received gratuities from these pro
ceeds, which have been used to
modernize equipment and afford
greater entertainment for the pa
tients.
The hospital has been included
by the National Tuberculosis As
sociation in their blueprints for
a gigantic program which stresses
vocational rehabilitation, includ
ing aptitude tests, special courses
and college work for all patients
expected to recover.
To stimulate a more homelike
atmosphere at the hospital a mo
tion picture is shown weekly to
each ward, and a new wing will
be open to convalescents before
August 1. An inter-hospital com
munication and public address
systems were purchased and in
stalled by the N.T.A., to insure
faster, more competent service,
and through a daily musical re
cord program keep internees in
a restful frame of mind.
Many ignorantly assume “THE
WHITE PLAGUE” is incurable,
but tuberculosis is curable though
treatment must begin early and
promptly upon discovery. This
ignorance may be responsible for
the alarming infection increase
prevalent in Alaska, while in the
United States the disease is slowly
being brought under control.
This impending threat to Alas
j kan society can be averted if each
resident will subscribe to a phy
sician for a semi-annual x-ray
check-up. With such united action
guaranteed, an early control over
tuberculosis in Alaska might be
assured.
Seward Sanatorium is the pro
duct of a conscientious group who
recognized the immediate neces
sity of organizing a hospital for
tubercular cases. The perpetual
interest and effort by Miss Bess
A. Winn, Exec. Sec. of N.T.A.,
has aided greatly in simplifying
the enevitability of this goal.
The sanatorium, located on the
Fort Raymond site, was converted
from an army hospital in 1946, and
is now supervised by the Method
ist Missions group. Its growth
has been so rapid that now all
surgery performed within the ter
ritory is conducted at Seward San
atorium. Dr. A. R. Valle is head
surgeon.
FRED DENT ARRIVES FOR
OPERATING OF HIS DREDGE
Fred Dent, mining man of Coun
cil, arrived to join his family,
• who had preceded him earlier in
i ‘he week. They will leave for
Council soon.
MRS. ENGSTROM AND FAMILY
ARRIVE FOR SUMMER
Mrs. Herb Engstrom and two
children arrived from their home
in Seattle enroute to their camp
on Mile 16 on the Kougarok Rail
road.
June Engstrom ,who was re
cently married, will join the fam
ily soon as her husband is work
ing with Mr. Engstrom.
I Mrs. Engstrom and the child
ren are the house guests of Mr.
and Mrs. Wallace Mcl^er.