The Public Service as a Springboard for Private Profit

• Author: Carl W. McCardle
• Published date: 01 March 1952
• Date: 01 March 1952
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/000271625228000111
• Subject Matter: Articles

The Public Service as a Springboard for Private Profit
By CARL W. McCARDLE
HE
events in Washington during a
the government by the attractive sheen
good part of the past year could
and supply of the gold to be found in
justify the notion that consideration of
the field of private business. But in his
the public service as a springboard for
new career he retains, or tries to retain,
private profit was a shamelessly aca-
the same sense of public responsibility
demic question. In a mounting roll of
that he had while in government. The
cases one did not have to &dquo;spring&dquo; off
other type is the out-and-out &dquo;fixer,&dquo; on
the board at all to receive private profit.
the alert for a fast dollar, with no non-
All one had to do was stay where one
sense about standards of public trust.
was and let the chips fall where they
EX-PUBLIC OFFICIALS WITH SENSE OF
would; it was sheer monotony how the
PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY
chips seemed to fall into one’s pocket.
Without any sense of neurotic introspec-
An example of the first type could be
tion, the governmental employee could
Clark Clifford, a very able man, who
ask himself, &dquo;Why leave, when I can
was President Truman’s chief counselor
stay on here and get rich too?&dquo;
The
at the White House. Clifford, as hand-
outbreak of Washington scandals in
some as a Hollywood movie actor, but
1951 gave a morbid answer to the ques-
with brains, had been in a St. Louis
tion.
law firm before going into the Navy
The outbreak was signalized by the
and later doing service at the White
rush of internal revenue collectors in
House.
Clifford wrote many of the
city after city to quit their public of-
smashing assaults upon &dquo;special inter-
fices, with or without a fire being built
ests&dquo; for Mr. Truman to regale and
under them. Their exodus was compa-
arouse the voting citizenry at the
rable in speed, if not in circumstances,
whistlestops in his surprisingly victori-
to that of Republican stalwarts depart-
ous campaign in 1948. With Mr. Tru-
ing the scene of the party conventions
man solidly ensconced by the elector-
during the Democratic surety of the
ate in the White House on his own,
New Deal era of Roosevelt II when
Clifford felt that in fairness to his
someone happened to mention them as
family he should return to the practice
a vice-presidential possibility on the
of law and make some money. From
G.O.P. ticket.
his vantage point of a place near the
There can be no doubt that public
President’s desk at the White House
service can be and is a springboard to
he could realize that Washington is a
private profit and one that can carry a
trackless jungle.
man into lush, green fields of pay dirt.
The government went into big busi-
A quick study of the matter indicates
ness under the New Deal and the Fair
that by and large there are two types
Deal-not only in the public utility
of candidates who capitalize on their
area, as with TVA, but elsewhere. And
government experience in the field of
the government has dragged business
private business-that is, for money.
into government.
Both government
One type is the honest public servant
and business now have a feeling of
who of course is motivated in...