Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-27

little. time yet-as the work is being done
at spare moments-before the total Is
reached. In the meantime, the question Of
vital interest to the clerks Is whether the
increase Will have attained such proper
tions before the close OF the session as to
awaken the leaders of both the Senate and
House to the idea that 1t would be just
for the government to recognize In this
substantial manner the services of its thou
sands of faithful employees
Views Of Senators.
Il am In favor of having this matter of
the salaries of employees of the government
taken up and looked into perhaps by
joint committee of both houses of Con-
gress." said Senator Gailinger, chairman of
the Senate committee on the District of
Columbia and a member of the committee
on appropriations. 1T seems>hardly posi-
BILE at this session to secure information
In time to permit Congress to act for an in
crease of salaries, but / think 1t would be
well to get a comprehensive view of the
entire matter SO that We will be able to act
1ntelligently. 1t may not be best to make
horizontal increase. Perhaps there should
be general Encouragement of salaries in
order to properly solve the problem that is
before Congress in this connection.
There is no doubt that there has been a
substantial increase in the cost of living.
This is city in which this increase has
seems entirely reasonable that the salaries
of government employees should be read
justed in order to meet the changed condi-
TONS
Senator Perkins of California is heartily
in favor of increasing the salaries of gov
eminent employees and believes that 1t
should be done at once by adopting hori
zontal scale for making increases. Just
what percentage of increase should be
granted he does not know, but believes that
there is no question about the necessity for
taking the action at once
Il was not in favor of Increasing the sal
aries of senator's, but heartily approve the
suggestion of increasing the pay of govern
ment employees. l suppose the present sal
aries are arranged upon a pretty fair basis
so far as the proportions between the va
rious salaries are concerned. If that is true
then the best way to proceed is to grant a
horizontal increase. The cost of living has
increased without doubt,.and the employees
of the government feel that increase. With
me it Is merely a matter of determining the
percentage of increase that We should
grant. We could do that by taking the
question up for consideration and getting
at the facts so far as they concern the
case in hand
But SO far as the need for this increase
is concerned have no doubt that it exists.
The sooner it is done the better will 1 like
it" =
Senator Nelson of Minnesota who opposed
the increase of salaries of senators and
representatives., is on record IN FAVOR OF
increasing the pay of government employees.
Not only in this city, but all over the
country, he believes that the pay of Uncle
Sans workers in every field should be
raised. When the proposition to increase
the salaries of sena tors and representatives
was up few days ago he declared that
the rural mail carriers, who receive SI2O per
annum, should receive more pay.
Mr.. Nelson declared that it is not the
higher-priced officials of the government
who give the most efficient service to the
government. There are Eany clerks, he
said, who now get from 81 200 to 81 600 per
annum who render more valuable service
than some of the higher-priced men. He
thought Congress could look into the mat
with advantage.
ing upon the measure to increase the pay of
true that the cost of living had increased
cost of living had been increased to sena-
tors it had been increased to the thousands
of government employees.
The Public Pay Roll.
While the campaign for and against the
iRcrease of government clerical salaries in
Washington is hot it may be Illuminating
to show just who and how many constitute
the government clerical force in Washing
ton and what they actually get for their
services. Many members of Congress claim
that the salaries paid government employees
in Washington are already too high. Some