The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1907-01-25
CONGRESS A TALL BLuFFER.

ardly early in the session and alto
gether inslncere In their voting against
the bill to raise their salaries, have
finally, after learning that the senate
would refuse to pull their chestnuts
out Of the fire. come back to the mea-
sure and voted as they wanted to vote
In the first place. BY vote OF 1873 to
80 the representatives have voted to
increase their salaries from $4,000 to
$500 year. 1t Is possibly true that
congressman, In view of the pace at
which custom compels them to live In
Washington and by virtue of increas-
ing cost of living. ought to have more
money than $4,000 year. Yet some
of them have managed to save up for
the rainy day out of their $4,000. Be
that as 1t may, the action of the house
OF representatives has been what
might be expected of a lot of little
boys. They have admitted their moral
cowardice and have really made some
thing OF mess of the matter.
When congress convened early in
December there was bill introduced
to increase the salaries of members
of congress from $4,000 to $500 per
year. Pretty nearly everybody in the
house was in favor of the increase.
Adam Bede of Minnesota said 1t was
matter of meal ticket to him, and
he voted for 1t. The only fellows
against 1t were Representatives Under
wood of Alabama and Lamar of Flor
ida who have money of their own and
who declared that $4,000 a year is
enough for any man. 1t was arranged
that the bill should be introduced by
Lucius Littauer of New York, he be-
ing through with his congressional
term anyway and not ahving any dear
pee-pul to fear when he got back home.
SO the bill was started and the rep
resentatives whispered about it among
themselves. For years they have been
trying to screw up their courage to
the sticking point SO as to pass this
measure. And for years their fear of
the constituents and the votes has
kept down their pay. But this year
they got together and thought that
grab.
The voting began. There were
-tsrIt 81, to-
game and then these patriots, without
fear and without reproach, fell over
one another in trying to get their votes
registered against this outrage. After
1t was beaten they went out In the
Railways and cussed. Then they
cheered up again because they thought
1t would all come out in the wash
anyway. They relied on the senate.
The dear old senate, they argued,
would reinsert that item when the bill
reached the upper house. But the
representatives, in passing, had in
creased the salaries of the cabinet
members, vice president, speaker and
clerks.
But the dear old senate refused to
play the good fellow act. The senate
didn't need the money, anyway, and
the senators figured out to themselves
that If the house declined to take re-
sponsibility for increasing its own pay,
the pay could remain at the $4,000
mark. Once in a while the house
makes a mistake in sizing up the SEN
ate Not long ago somebody in the
house introduced a bill providing
against the sale of Intoxicating liquors
in any building owned by the govern
ment There were a good many TEN.
perance women and ministers in the
galleries and the house, although, it
hated to lose it's drinks, went through
the tellers like streak of lightning
and eliminated the sale of booze. But
they laughed up their sleeves and
pointed at the senate. The dear old
senate, they argued, would insist upon
its rum, and restore the bar. But the
| hNhotN uiuh hStu W. EVERY SENATOR
has a committee room of his own and
can get drink in there If he chooses.
The house members are up against it
because they are not so we'll provided
for with committee rooms. And so
the senate just left the measure as 1t
was and the house now is cursing its
thirst.
The house is made up Of politicians
who are playing the game. Disfavor
with their constituents is a much
feared package and favor is sought by
means of the grandstand. 1t was a
grandstand play for fair that caused
the house to vote against it's salary
increase. And so, having learned that
unless they reconsidered the matter
and boosted their own pay, it was apt
to remain at the measly sum of $4,000
per year, they got together at last and
gave it jump. In that reconsidera-
J ton they admitted that their first vote