The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-22
NOT ALLOWED EXTRA PAY
Capitol Employees to Wait for Ad-
ditional Compensation.
A Lively Time in the House Over
Certain ItcIus in the General De-
hcisne4. B;3i-chnrEes of Careless
ncss Tadr-CInims May he Rcstor-
ed by the Conference Committee.

storm of unusual proportions was
aroused yesterday in the House by the
section in ths General Deficiency bill ap-
propriating monoy for the pay of en-
ployes a; work in the Capitol but not on
the regular rolls. and for extra remunera-
tiou to clerks OF committees and others
for doing services beyond that usually re-
quired of them.
BY both Republicans and Democrats
| alike the practice Of paying out money in
seemingly sIipshod manner. without
| knowing exactly what it was for, was
strongly condemned and both Representa-
tive Cannon, OF the Appropriations Com
| mittee and Representative Bull. OF the
House Committee on Accounts, were kept
on their feet explaining. and attempting
TO satisfy the clanoTing members tina. the
persons mentioned in the bill had right
10 the sums appropriated for their relief.
The opposition 10 the methods adopted by
the framers of the hill was so great that
hHaliy, upon point Of order sustained
by tie Chair the clauses granting sums
OF money to score Of persons were
stricken out. II is expected. however, that
afte% the individual cases have been in
Yesiigated, some relief will be afforded all
TIE debate WAS lengthy vehement,
sharp, and somewhat confused When the
section providing for payment of $500 TO
| three men employed in caring for Ger ain
committee rooms, including the rooms of
| the Committee on Accounts the Commit
| tee on Appropriations. and the Committee
/ ON Invalid Pensions was reached Mr.
! Loud arose, and in rather pointed fash
| ion. turning to Mr.. Cannon said: 1T
seems to me that there is evident here
Tather patent desire on the part of com
fnittee cha:rmen to be good to some one"
He thereUDon demanded that Mr.. Can
| non should give some explanation why
iHese three men be granted this extra pay
1 Tor caring for the committee rooms Mr.
Cannon explained that the rooms men
! ticned we're open during the recess and
( during that time were cared for bv the
men mentioned. That explanation was not
sufficient for MIR. Loud. who pressed for
further details. to which Mr. Cannon re-
piled:
IAN l can say is that it has been The
custom for the chairmeu OF committees to
send the Appropriation Committee notice
Of the extraordinary payments viii n they
think are deserved by their clerks We
have, as rule. accepted such notices from
the chairmcn in good iaith."
Mr.. Maddox, reading over the list of
extraordinary payments TO clerks OF COM
mittees, said he did not see why there
should be these extra payments made.
ii is, SO far as | can make out" he con
tinued. merely way of discriminating
between clerks and favoring certain
ones
Pressed for a further explanation Of the
various appropriations TO these Capitol
employees. Mr.. Cannon said that great
many OF them were certified TO the Com
mittee on Appropriations by the Commit
tee on Accounts, and called upon Mr.. Bull,
chairman of that committee. to give the
reasons. This Mr.. Bull attempted to do.
but did not succeed in satisfying anyone
that the men to whom the money was to
be doled out had any claim to It.
Representative Dinsmore made an espe-
cial assault upon $500 appropriation for
the House telegrapher He said lie uu-
derstood that the man at present doing
the telegrapher's work was not the man
assigned to it on the rolls of the Capitol
employees; that the present occupant OF
the position was on the rolls as a team
ster. He added:
1T IS just an evidence CT what We hear
quite frequently-that many men who arc
neminally At work in the Capitol are at
home and pay others to do their work for
them. It is outrageous and scandalous.
fHRG House set" '''''' o - '''''
Mr. Fleming was especially bitter
against the lax methods and cross-ques-
toned closely and persistently both Mr..
Cannon and Mr.. Bull. Finally h assert
ed: We intend to question rhe honesty OF
these claims
There is no question of honesty" broke |
in Mr. Moody. 1t is merely question
OF rropriety"
4 am sure that in most of these cases, /
said Representative Bailey. THE employees !
TO whom the amounts are proposed 10 be !
civ he ! a..
serve the recompense. Il would be a |
hardship to deny them what they right |
fully have earned. Bul there Is wrong |
somewhere and ! think the blame IS with |
the officers Of the House who have al |
lowed this tangled condition of affairs to !
exist II is outrageous and d scandal upon
the integrity of the House that certain |
persons should be appointed to Offices and
that the work should be done by others
point OF order was made against the |
whole section by Mr.. Fleming who OBJ
jected to each name as il was read. His
assertion that the appropriations were in
the nature of new legislation was upheld /
by Mr.. Lawrence, in the Chair.
Mr.. Bailey. after the Committee Of the
Whole had risen. proposed a resolution
calling for the appointment OF a commit
tee of five to Investigate the appointment
and compensation OF employees of the
House and to report all facts within six
days. II was referred 70 the Committee
on Rules. Probably through this commit
Zee all the just claims for remuneration
will be properly satisfied. II not there is !
stll chance for the employees who have
labOred with hope OF wages. for The sec
tiCn stricken out on points of order will
be put back on the bill in the Senate and
be passed without opposition
when the measure comes back from con-
ference.