Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-08-16
PAYMENT OF SALARIES
THE PRESIDENT ALONE RECEIVES
AN INDIVIDUAL WARRANT.
How the Tables Are Made Up for
Each MOnth-Mr. Cleveland's
One-Cent Warrant.

The President is the only official of the
United States government who is paid on
a direct individual warrant from the Treas
ury Department. All other officials are
paid by disbursihg officers, who receive
lump sums for that purpose. Vice Presi-
dent Roosevelt is paid by Mr.. Bennett, the
secretary of the Senate. Cabinet ofhcers
are paid by disbursing officers of their de-
partments Each month in the year Pres
ident Mckinley receives by mail warrant
covering the money he has earned as his
salary. 1t really goes to him a few days
before he has earned it. Along in 1872 the
officials of the controllers Office prepared
a number of tables giving the monthly
payments to each salaried position under
the government. BY that system, as is
well known, man does not receive eacn
month one-twelfth of what he is allowed
for the year.
Divided Into Quarters.
His salary for the year is divided into
four equal quarters, and each quarter is
then distributed to him according to the
number of days in month The salary OF
a clerk rated at $500 year is divided &C
cording to the salary tables into four
quarters of s225 each. For the first quar-
ter of the calendar year the clerk would
be paid 1850 in January, which has thirty
one days: $40 in February, which mas
twenty-eight days, and $77.5O In Marcn,
with thirty-one days. 1t was planned 10
pay the President on exactly the same
basis his annual salary of $4,000 being
divided into four quarters of $4,000 each
For January the President would receive
81, 305.60s for February, $3SSSSo, ana 1or
March, 81, 3O5.6O. but the treasury omclais
have never followed this plan to the letter.
They divide the salary into four quarters
of $12,5OO each, and under the law could
not under any circumstances exceed that
but they pay the President practically the
same salary every month in the year, no
matter whether the month is a long one or
a short one. For two months of each quar-
ter the Presidents check is drawn for
s4,16667, but the other month sees the
check reduced 1 cent, to "a, 1866 One of
the clerks in the bookkeeping and warrants
division of the treasury forgot one quarter
that he had already sent President Cleve-
land one check that quarter for $4,1G6.66
and made the third check out for the same
sum. The treasury officials seon learned
that a mistake had been made. and prompt
ly made out a warrant on the United States
government for 1 cent, one of the most
curious incidents in Mr.. Clevelands occu-
patton of the White House. Mr.. Cleveland
has never cashed this check for 1 cent.
Object of the Tables.
The object of the carefully prepared sal
airy tables is to protect the government
against loss IN case of the sudden death of
a clerk. In the case of $500 clerk. for in
stance, 1t is pointed out that If he were
paid $75 each month in the year and should
die at the close of a month his successor
might lose part Of the salary that ought to
be his. In the case of $500 clerk dying at
the close of the month of February, after
having received S75 for that month, the
man who succeeded him would receive
much less than that for the month Of
March, which has thirty-one days.
The Presidents Check.
The treasury officials make out the Pres
idents's check about the 25th or 26th of each
month. The check is pay for that entire
month. The President receives it about the
29th of each month. In February 1t is made
out earlier and is received by the President
earlier. Under the treasury system If
President should die at the end of Febru-
airy, after having received his pay for that
month, his successor would receive less in
March than rightfully belonged to him. be-
cause in the division of salary the former
President had received more than his por-
ton in February. According to the salary
tables a President ought to be paid 81, 800. 60
for January and March and $3,SSS.SO for
February, but as it is the President re-
ceives the same amount for February he
does for January and March,