Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-12
Prohibition Against Lobbying With
: drawn in Favor Of the Clerks.
Great Stride Forward.


with statement of the status of the re-
tirement bill has been prepared and sent
out by the association preparatory to its
next meeting, which will be May 10.
Mr. Cooley's Letter.
Mr.. Cooley's letter to President Starr of
the association is as follows:
Referring to the conversation had with
the committee of the Civil Service Retire.
mert Association yesterday morning, in ac-
cordance with their request submitted the
questions you asked to the President at my
interview with him yesterday afternoon He
informed me that he was willing that your
organization should collect such funds as
might be necessary to defray the expenses
Of employing actuaries to present your bill
to Congress and such other Incidental ex-
penses as might be legitimate. He also
raises no objection to your urging the bill
upon the attention of Congress under such
restrictions as the civil service commission
preScrfbes.
~ there fore have the honor to state
that, in my judgment. this work should be
undertaken by your executive committee,
AID that the members Of the, retirement
association should be. Informed that the
executive committee will take entire charge
Of the campaign; no member of the assoeia-
| ton not on the executive committee should
attempt in any way to influence member
OF Congress. and the members of the iexecu-
tive committee should confine themselves
to appearing before the committees having
the proposed legislation under consideration,
or to explaining to the members of the COM
mittee the reasons why the bill is urged.
The executive committee Is also at liberty
to answer all questions that may be ad-
dressed to 1t by any member of Congress.
This authorization is in the nature of an
exception to a general policy that has been
laid down. and L therefore urge most
strongly that your organization should be
very careful to comply strictly with the
suggestions contained in this letter.
Statement to Members.
The stateent of the association is as f,l-
lows. sraAfSs @.:2a, f,.;s;1c ;zt5sfT.z -
ITO the Members Of the United States Civil
Service Retirement Association, greet
~ ing: 49,
| E~.tSs,....ec we last addressed yot. your COM
mittees has formulated D.ffrof the retire
ment of disabled employees in the classified
civil service Of the government, which bill
was Introduced ip both branches of Con-
gress, - ~-'-s.,--.. -.
movement during the last SIX months has
exceeded our expectations
Our bill has convinced Congress that we
could create and maintain retirement act
ourselves.
when, six years ago. we entered upon
the investigation of the subject of retire.
ment. there was absolutely nothing known
las to the data or statistics upon which a
bill might be formulated with mathematical
certainty. Today there Is nothing in the
way of data or statistics that Is not known.
when we took up the subject the older
element Of three-fourths Of our associates
thought the subject chimerical, and all the
younger element thought that, under our
retirement plan. they would be taxed too
heavily; the newspapers throughout the
country were against US; Congress would
make no appropriation to help us; some Of
the cabinet officers were skeptical; but when
we had prepared our bill and introduced 1t
in Congress there was a complete change
Of sentiment The comments of the news
PAPERS throughout the country were In
variably favorable. Congress and the heads
Of the several departments saw new light.
AS for the President himself he has always
been with in this movement
Data and Calculations Official.
"At the outset we purposed to make all
| data and calculations Official; and to that
| end we tried to secure the appointment of
an official committee to investigate the sub
| ject with view to a retirement plan, and
| to report as to its feasibility and practical
| bility, SO that retirement bill might go to
| Congress as an official document. We are
| pleased to say that we have succeeded
ITO the Keep commission has been as
signed the task of preparing a bill.
THAT. Congress is not inclined to favor
retirement bills Of a local character Is
evidenced by the fact that the bill of the
railway mail service, which was intro
duced in the last Congress with the APP
prevail of the Postmaster General, and the
| bill Of the life-savng service, which was
introduced in the last Congress with a
recommendation by the President, were
not acted upon.
1--WE are very much pleased that we may
say that both Mr.. Gillett. chairman of
the House committee on reform in the civil
service. and Mr.. Tawny chairman of the
committee on appropriations, are more
than favorably inclined to a bill that will
tighten the load that We would have to
carry in the first twenty years of the
laws operation. Both have heretofore OBJ
jected to making any appropriation to
help US. This is a great stride forward,
indeed.
Views of Mr.. Gillett.
SIN letter dated March g. 1907, to the
president Of the association, Mr.. Gillett
says: Referring to the conversation which
we had this winter upon the subject of re-
tirenhent, would repeat as l told you
| then, that IL I should be chairman of this
committee in the next Congress. it would
be my intention to take up at once the
general question. l should be pleased to
have your bill introduced, and also the
Stewart bill. of your committee, OF winch
you spoke to me- have strong hopes that
the committee can agree upon some prop
osition, and I think it would probably be
can only speak for myself, and cannot
even predict that shall be chairman OF
the committee again. although it would be
natural to expect it.
What Senator Perkins Says.
Senator Perkins. in letter to the presi-
dent Of the association, dated March 4.
1901, says: In answer to your inquiry,
will say that Notwithstanding the vast
amount of work crowded into this short
session. I would have given you a hearing
on your retirement bill had 1t not been for
the fact that learned that the Keep COM
mission was drafting bill which would be