The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1907-01-24
REACH A TR|FLE SHORT
WHEN coNGREssMEN GRABBED
FOR A RAISE.
DID NOT WANT NAMES ON REC ORC.
S2-eurpris,na iaeAes 9, ts
Repress ntati.es.


Washington. Jan. i9.-In pursuan .
OF carefuliy-laid pan, ue .ised a, >.
secret meeting CT sO.Is Oh tie repu.. q
can leadoIs, iuci"d..o e-p.anGrf Gann~..
an amendment 10 tile Legislative, exeG..
tive and judicial app,op. iation bill, liz
creasing tee salary o. inelnoers Of con.
gress from $1,000 to $I,6OV a year, waa
jammod through the mouse Of repre-
sentatives. Tne proceeding possessed
features which were most unusual, and
in SOME respects was, perhaps, without
parallel in the history Of congress.
Having in mind the exhibition Of COW.
ardice which a majority Of the mem.
bers gave a month ago when, on an aye
and naye vote, they defeated the pro
posed increase, the promoters Of the
scheme had II all arranged that there
should be no roll call this time. They
had made man.to-man canvass before
hand, and been assured that there
would be enough votes to carry the
proposition. BY fixing il up that there
should be no record of the vote, every
member who is afraid his constituents
would disapprOve OF the increase will
he able to claim that he opposed it
whether he did or not.
There are mighty few men in the
house who are not in favor of a sub
stantial addition in compensation, but
at least three-ftfhs of them have a
dread of antagonizing the voters who
send them to congress, and believe
$4,000 a year, along with the various
perquisites. Is sufficient remuneration
That is why the increase was knocked
out last month. and explains also why
the house was bitterly disappointed
when the senate refused to restore It
when the legislative bill was undcr con.
sideration Of that body few days
ago.
Salary Amendment offered.
When the bill came UP before the
house the salary amendment was OF.
fered and agreed to. and then the bill
was sent TO conference. The statesmen,
so-called, fairly shivered when Repre-
sentative Driscoll, Of New York, insist.
ed that there should be an aye and no
vote 30 that the people Of the country
might be familiar with the record and
understand how the various members
stood on the proposition.
There was a feverish desire on the
part of most Of the members to have
the amendment disposed Of as speedily
as possible, because they were afraid
that at any moment they might be
compelled to go on record and demon.
strate whether their avarice was great.
cr than their courage But Representa-.
tive Littauer, of New York, had the
ways all fabricated and it was not long
before the agony was over. On a ris
ing vote the amendment was carried by
1873 TO 90.
On the division being taken the
amendment was declared carried by
ayes 1873, nays 92.
Yeas and Nays Called For.
Mr. Macon, of Arkansas, called for
the yeas and nays, but only "a nom.
bers arose. Not a sufficient number
there" declared the speaker and the
amendment was declared adopted.
ihe ohiy otneT dcuou 10 Do 8ken
with reference to this amendment IL
for the senate to confirm H. It viii
not again come up in the house unless
the senate should amend the amend.
ment. The bill was then sent to con.
ference. the oonferees on the part Of
he house being Messrs. Bingham, Lit.
.auer and Livingston.
An hour or more after the house had
adopted the provision for an increase
N the salaries of senators and mem.
Ders the bill was returned to the sen.
ite for the purpose of securing the ac-
ion of that body, but the senate went
nto executive session without taking
t up. The matter Is therefore forced
,yer until next week.