The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-16
THE CLERKS SALARY GRAB.
How the Extra Months Pay Abuse Has
Grown in Recent Years.

How the Extra Months Pay Abuse Has
Grown in Recent Years.
Washington Special.
Senator Allison in speech delivered in the
Senate on March 81, 1885, showed how the folly
of giving an extra mouths pay had grown up in
Congress Prior to 1876 it lad been customary
to give the extra months pay to session en-
ployes. The Democrats, being then in posses
sion of the House. stated that the custom should
be broken up. They broke il up by making
statute declaring that the long session should be
considered as lasting seven months and the
short one four months. AS the long session was
usually less than seven months and the short
one could not be more than three months. the
employees got by statute what they had
before received by special bill. Yet in
1879. after the law had been some time IN
force, the House of Representative being Dem
ocratie, gave it's employees an extra months pay,
which the Senate allowed, thus giving session en-
ploysxsiGht months pay. instead of seven, for
six months work. and four months pay for three
months work. About July i, 1S79 the House
added all the employees on the annual rolls This
the Senate yielded. Again, on March 3, 1881,
the House not only asked for an extra months
pay for the session clerks but for the annual
clerks also. So the Senate made similar de
mand for its session clerks, and it was allowed,
after it had been refused by the appropriations
committee, on the motion of Democratic SEN
ator. Then the Senate began, in 1884, to appro-
pirate for the sessions clerks an extra months
pay beyond that provided in the statutes of 1877,
which provided that the sessions should convene
for four months and seven months respectively.
during the long and short terms. This was re-
peated the next year. the House employees all get
ting an extra months pay while the Senate annual
clerks did not receive it, The House brought
in the same proposition the following year. Civ
ing an extra months pay to all employees, in
cluding, however the official stenographers, who
receive So. 900 each a year. Not an employe was
left out In that year Senator declared it to be
manifest injustice that employees of the House
should receive more as annual compensation
than was paid TO corresponding officers of the
Senate, and an additional months pay. The
Senate refused to grant the request of the House
unless like provision was made for the Senate.
During that year-1883-a law was proposed for
joint commission from the two houses to con-
slider the question of salaries and compensation.
The commission met and failed to agree. Since
that time the extra months pay has been voted
in each house to all employees. The cost has
been about 500, ,0C0 yearly for both houses. If
the act of 1877 is still in force, and the House
employees are receiving pay for seven months for
long session and four months for short one.
by statute the claim defeated by the vote of Sat
urday would appear to have been one to pay sal
aries for nine months. as this session has been
one of about eight months in length, What be-
comes of the statutory provision that the session
should be considered as seven months in lengthl