New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-17
FIGHTING FOR TIE CLERKSHIPS.

FIGHTING FOR TIE CLERKSHIPS
UNSUCCESSFUL EFFORTS OF MEMBERS NOT CHAIR
MRN tn BAG TuE GAME.
WASHINGTON Jan. 16 tSpecian.-The House
Committee on Accounts brought back its report
On committee clerks to-day, and it was adopted
after considerable debate. and an unavailing at
tempt TO provide that each member Of the House
who is not q chairman of o committee shall have
\ clerk at salary of s75 per month. The de-
bate on this proposition was lively, and it was
advocated by members on both sides. On several
divisions the proposition had clear majority, but
when members came to record their votes many
who were in favor OF It weakened and either
lodged or voted in the negative, so that it was
defeated by ca yeas to ! 81 nays. The report OF
the committee was then adopted by vote of l "a
to so. As 81 chairnen were provided for, 1t Is
fair to presume that all Of them voted for tho
report Of the committee. Dcducting their votes
from the Affirmative vote would leave the result
20 in favor Of the report and 81 against IT.
Some pretty strong were advanced by
men who favored Mr.. Perkins's substitute, which
would provide clerical assistants for every mem
Der Of the House MIR. Cannon Of Illinois, for
example. seemed to be unable to understand why
Mr.. Iandcs. of his State shall have clerk at SO
per day during the session simply because he
happens to be chairman of the Committee on
Ventilation and Acoustics, while Mr. cannon nm
self and other members from Illinois who have
much harder work TO do are compelled TO attend
to their correspondence. The committees
repore gives clerk also to Judson q. Clements,
of Georgia. because he happens to be chairman of
the Committee on Reform in the civil Service 10
which he is opposed "Our Tim" as chairman OF
the Committee on Expenditures on Public Build
ings, which probably will hold one meeting before
the expiration of the present Congress. gets
there" too. Then there is Mr. Campbell, OF ONO,
the good looking Representative who came In by
a majority of one vote and who gets s6-a-day
clerk because he is chairman of the Committee tee
hot l..
As this is Reform House, ana economy Is
the watch-worl it may be interesting to note how
and committee expenditures with the House IN the
XLVIIth Congress. which WIS controlled by a
wicked and extravagant Republican majority In
that Congress there were twelve annual comn1 NEE
clerks in this one there are seven.~cn me
salaries Of two of those annual clerkships have
been increased from $4,000 per year eacn 20
there were thirtv-three session clerks OF 50 per
dav. In this one there arc thlrty-seyen session ION
clerks at the same rate In other Worus .hcre I hao
bonn an increase Of nine committee clerks IN less
than five years In the last Congress thirteen
committees expended s30,364 on account OF clerk
hire and the thirteen committees togetner SUD
mitted to the House a total of nine wrlt'cn re-
ports which In printed form would make
pamphlet OF nearly 100 pages Such Is Demo
cratic economy and reform.
PACIFIC RAILROADS FUNDING BILL.
AID ouruw ,Irr BRINGS IN A MEASURE TO SECURE
THE GOVERNMENT DEBT.
u,suxcToy Jan 16.-The Pacific Railroad
finding hin introduced by MIR. Cultivate In the
House today differs in many essentlai points
from the committee bill reported in the last Con-
gress 1t provides, first for the ascertalnment OF
the debt of the companies, both principal and IN
tercst From that amount is to be taken the
interest already paid. The present worm u o s9
remainder is TO be found as OF July l., 800,
money being regarded worth per cent sinlppie
interest for the period between that date ah4 tie
average date Of maturity OF tne tSe amount in
the sinking fund of each company, the relnaihuer
being the indebtedness due from each COMPANY Oh
July l. sss if their debt were 10 oe IN c's se
cured bv mortgages covering the present lines
and branches The scheme prov des Tor the re-
payment of the debt within hity years a D 70, "
series of bonds falling due mi-annually ana ray
inc interest at per cent. The bonds are 10 De
issued in four series. so arranged that ohe1n' t
of per cent of the PRINCIPAL OF the dept VII. me
paid every six months during the nrst zen yeaIIs
two-thrds Of per cent every SIX moh.ns 81 ',ot II,
second ten wears. / per cent every SIX months OF
the second twenty years ana per cenV e'eiy OLA
months Of the last ten years 49,.
Among the essential differences between TINS
and the old hill is an increase or the penalty ~.
case of the refusal of the COMPANIES TO dce' pe r
cent under the Thurman Act. whereas the Ola Dill
fixed the penalty at 40 per cent to sin,;no fund
shall be applied on the principal of the debt
while in the old bill this was inferent,ai. u
allows the companies to pay any part or the "nuIe
of the debt at any time. the bonds TO DC can,
celled or the Secretary Of the Treasury may sell
the whole Of the bonds either to the creditors OF
the company or in the general market no dlvl.
bends are to he declared until all the current
obligations have been met. After that DIVIDENDS
are restricted to per cent. which must have been
earned during the preceding year. 1t is provided
however that O larger dividend may be declared
If the earnings warrant it upon condition that
the companies pay upon their indeotedness an
amount equal TO the excess Of dividend.
The other changes are Of minor character,
and intended to strengthen the Government ID Its
claims.