Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-01
Members of the House Desire
Salary Increase But Fear Con-
stituents Will Object
THEY HOPE SENATE MAY ACT
Action by the Upper House Could be
CONQUERED in With Better Grace =
Some underpaid cierks-seoretary
Wilson'S Efforts to Compel Com
pliance With Feeding in Transit Law.


Washington, Jan. There Is good
deal OF fun for outsiders over the sit
uation In which congress has left ITSELF
owing to the refusal of the house to
pass the bill raising members pay to
$500 year. ALI the members were
in favor OF the measure, in fact, 1t would
be hard to find man anywhere who
would be hverse to having his salary
| raised. 1t even may be said that there
Is a fair reason for making the raise
in this case. Members of congress are
not overpasd and the expenses of liv-
ing in Washington having increased to
such an extent that 1t is becoming
hard for a man to hold a seat in con-
gress If he has not Independent means
with which to exc out his salary. How
ever, the members of the house were
afraid to vote for raise of their own
salary and after increasing the salary
of Speaker Cannon they voted down
the bill to boost their own wages.
There was a hope, If not an absolute
expectation, among the members that
the senate might bell the cat and pass
such measure after which the house
could concur with becoming reluctance.
Most OF the senators. it may be re-
marked, are wealthy men to whom an
increase in salary is matter Of COM
parative indifference. so 1t looks as
tho few sessions more might pass
leaving the increased compensation OF
members still an urgent hut unsolved
problem.
There is another matter Of salary in
crease which the underpaid clerks to
congressman ate watching with hungry
eyes and which stands a little better
show Of passing. AS the law now
stands congressman are allowed $1,000
a year for clerk hire and many of
them put their wives or daughters on
the clerical roll pocket the money and
do the work themselves Others club
together and hire single clerk each
paying hin, not more than $40 a week
and pocketing the remainder of the
salary. The measure Of relief for the
clerks contemplates putting them on
the regular salary roll Of the house and
senate paying them each $500 year
direct. It may be said in justice to
some representatiw es and senator's, that
they not only give their clerks all the
stipulated $1,000, but good deal be-
Sides and some Of them by generosity
with market, real estate and other tips.
have enabled their clerks to become in
dependently wealthy. There is one case
known to many correspondents in
Washington whereia correspondent los
ing his newspaper Job, got a clerkship
under wealthy eastern senator. He
made good and saved the senator time,
money and trouble, in the numerous
ways that an efficient secretary can
do it for public man. One day the
old gentleman suggested that he buy
b bunch Of x z. 2. stock on the theory
that 1t was going t1p. The secretary
replied that he hadl no money to ven
ture in such a speculation, whereupon
the old gentleman wrote o. K. on his
card, addressed it ITO his own brok-
ers, and inside Of 81 week advised the
clerk to sell out. Meantime the stock
scored an advance of $4,000. This is
by no means common case, but 1t
does happen sometimes On the other
hand one OF the very wealthiest sena-
tors. who still occupies seat, too, in
newspaper man as his secre AIRY
about a year ago, kept him all one
winter, allowed him to spend over $500
in small treats for disagreeaple consti-
tuents whom the senator did not want
to meet himself, and at the end of that
time refused even to settle the wine bill
and other practically necessary expen-
ses which the clerk had contracted on
his behalf.
The secretary of agriculture has at
last gone after the railroads for vio-
lation Of the cattle transportation law
passed at the last session Of congress.
It will be recollected that the old law
forbade railroad companies to keep
cattle on the cars for more than twen-
ty-eight hours without food and drink
and rest Of five hours. Even this
was entirely too long but the packing
house, railroad and cattle interests
made bitter fight to have the time
limit extended to thirty-six hours. In
the face Of the strenuous protests from
every humane society in the country
this was done. But the railroads were
not satisfied even with this UBIQUITOUS
law and cases have been certified to
the solicitor Of the agricultural depart
ment in which they have kept cattle
crowded and starving and famished
with thirst in the cars fol- periods run
ming up to ninety hours The secre-
tary of agriculture has secured evidence
in between 500 and 500 such cases and
they have been presented to the depart
ment of justice for rigorous prosecu-
ton. The maximum penalty for each
individual shipment is $500 and if
carload of cattle should be shipped all
belonging TO different parties. the max