Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-21
A LIVELY DISCUSSION
On the District Appropriation
Bill.
SPRINKLlNG RAILWAY TRACK
Provision Requiring It Struck Out on
Point of Order.
PAY OF SCHOOL TEACHERS
Whether They Will Get More Money
or Not an Anxious Matter
of Inquiry.

raised Representative SaIfpDeil OF
sas. who was deaf to the pleadings of many
members of the House that he permit the
provision to remain. Mr.. Campbell seemed
to think that the provision should have been
duly considered by the House District COM
mttee In the form of BILL and not inserted
in the appropriation bill off-hand by the
appropriation committee.
Mr.. Campbell made his point of order i'm
medaately after the paragraph in question,
which requires the companies to sprinkle
the streets two feet on either side of their
tracks, was read.
II will ask the gentleman, said Repre-
sentative Glllett of Massachusetts in charge
of the District bill whether he makes this
point of order because he thinks it Is I'M
desirable legislation whether he makes
it simply because the provision IS techni7
cally subject to point of order!
Why Mr.. Campbell Objected.
Legislation of this character remarked
Mr. Campbell, should come out of a com
mittee that has jurisdiction of purely iegis-
lative matters"
THE street railway company came before
u.s." said Mr.. Gilett, and there was no
strenuous opposition to this provision. i
won't pretend that they favored this legis-
ation but they did not oppose it very ssr1-
ously 1t would not be very expensive. ana
it was so exceedingly desirable and SO i3ir
to the city that l did not suppose even the
gentleman's susceptibilities as member or
the District committee would be hurt by
our putting it on here.
In reply to questions by Representative
Madden of Illinois, Mr.. Campbell admitted
| that he thought the proposition was very
desirable one but that he objected because
| the committee on appropriations had no
right to report legislative provisions.
Representative Hepburn scolded MIR. Camp
bell for the stand he had taken. remarling
that the committee on interstate and for
eign commerce had never, sat back. and de-
clared: I'VE will not perform this duty and
neither shall your
Representative Gardner of Michigan urged
Mr.. Campbell to withdraw the point of or
der. IF the gentleman from Kansas, he
said will go up and down 14th street, the
street that l travel over, his face and his
eyes will be filled with dust from the street
car lines"
81 would say to the gentleman that 18th
street has no monopoly on dirt and dust in
this city,, remarked William Alden Smith
of Michigan.
Raising Teachers Wages.
| Representative Samuel w. Smith then en-
tered the controversy. He said that he had
heard his colleagues talking about justice
and fair play, and all that sort of thing,
and he wanted to ask if, when that portion
of the bill in reference to teachers wages
| was reached, they would consent to an
amendment raising them
Il think the teachers wages should be
changed, replied Mr.. Gillett, and i recog-
nize that that is a matter which belongs to
the gentlemans committee. and therefore
this committee refrained from meddling.
We simply reported perfunctorily what was
put before US by the school board. thinking
that we would wait unit! the House. under
the gentleman lead, treated that subject
and then In the Senate whatever bill was
carried through would be put on. Is that
not the proper position for us to take?'
Mr. Smith remarked with some asperity
hot Mr. Hiatt
District committee had reported a bill to
increase the teachers wages, and that this
bill would be brought up before the House
next Monday He thought that the District
bill should have been held up few days.
Champ Clark of Missouri demanded of
Representatives Gtllett and Gardner of
Michigan If positive promise had not
| been made on the floor last year that if the
| fight for teachers increases was stopped
| at that time the District appropriation sub
committee would bring in a proposition at
| this session to increase teachers salaries.
There was something of that kind" re-
piled Mr. Gardner, but in the meantime
the teachers and those associated with them
have gone to the District committee in
PRODUCED their bills and are seeking to
bring In legislation from that committee
thus relieving the appropriations committee
from doing what it otherwise would have
done.
Mr.. Clark's Question
II know" said Mr. Clark, but that ends
this way: What we wanted then and what
some OF us want now is a chance to dis
cuss the simple proposition of recognizing
teachers wages in the District, and what
| the District committee has done is to re-
port bill that not only treats the cues
ton of salaries, which is enough to be
treated by itself at one time but in addi-
ton also treats the entire question of re-
organizing the schools from top to bot
TOM
II was not on this subcommittee last
year." said Mr.. Glliett and this is the
first time l have ever heard of any such
agreement. Even If 1 had known it, after
seeing the constituencies today which my
friends on the District committee have ex-
hibited toward any attempt on our part to
assume any of their prerogatiyes, i should
hardly have dared to offer SO important a
provision subject to a point of order
that"
"I am astonished," cried Mr.. Burleson of
Texas, that the gentleman from Michigan
asks why we did not embody in this bill
the provisions Of the school BILL For years
and years there has been a clamor in the
District OF Columbia in behalf Of the poor
ly paid teachers in the public schools. For
month his and months the mail of every MEM
Der of Congress has been laden with let
ters appealing to each one of us to aid
these poorly paid teachers to secure an In
crease The District committee had jurs-
diction of the matter. but Here, as usual,
the District committee has procrastinated.
It has waited and 1t has delayed until the
been worn threadbare and the public
schools are losing some of their best teach
ers. And now. at last, the District COM
mittee IL about to act 1t is about to bring
before the House bill to grant this long
delayed request-this long-delayed act of
justice to the long-suffering school teach
en- Now why should the appropriations
COMMITTEES deprive the District committee
of the little credit they ought to get out
of that? Would 1t be kind? Would It be
fair? Why, of course notl
s'Do you think that we are 30 selfish as
To take from the District comittee the
credit for the only good thing that they
have done in years and yearsf daughter
and applause9
Mr.. Burleson's Statement.
In reply to suggestion from Mr.. Smith
Mr.. Burieson said that he hoped that the
poor school teacher WAS not to be made the