Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-22
RAISE FOR CLERKS
KILLED IN SENATE
Bacon Pleads in Vain for De-
partment Employees.
POINT OF ORDER INVOKED
Legislative, Executive and Judicial
Appropriation Bill Passes.
FEW CHANGES IN MEASURE
Pay Of Few individuals Increased.
Hale's Rebuff of Dixon
Bounces Off.
POINT OF ORDER INVOKED
FEW CHANGES IN MEASURE

The legislative, executive and judicial
appropriation bill passed the Senate late
yesterday afternoon without the Bacon
amendment providing for ~ per cent
increase In the salaries of clerks I'm the
focal executive departments Senator
Bacon made a hard fight. 1t was merely
matter of the making of a point Of
order against the amendment on the
ground that it was general legislation
that defeated it. The point was made by
Senator Warren. member of the sub
committee which considered the bill. and
had to be sustained by the chair under
the rules
In bringing up the question of the in
crease of pay for the government clerks.
Senator Bacon stated that he knew his
amendment was subject to a point of
order but he hoped the senator's i'm
charge of the bill would not raise il i'm
view of the fact that the increase was SO
well deserved. In order that one obiec-
tion to the amendment might be removed,
he said. he had inserted a provision that
the 70 per cent increase should not af-
1ect any class of clerks that had been
given more money subsequent to Decem-
Der l. l9O3. Later he also asked the com
Hlttee TO accept the amendment with a
nodlncdf1on making il applicable for onIv
one year. but i'm vain
The Bacon amendment provided that all
saiaries or compensation not exceeding
Si.SoO year. now allowed bv law to tn,
employees of the executive depa tments in
ashngton. including the Library Of
onieress and the government printing
ONCE, be increased to an amount of 20
per cent thereon. provided that the IN
crease De not given to any employe i'm a
class which has had its salary increased
subsequent to December ], 1909
Bacon Pleads for Clerks
This Is about the only class of gov
ernment employees that has not been
gwen an increase OF pay i'm the last few
years. said Mr.. Bacon. after presenting
MS amendment, "and it is, perhaps, the
most deserving class
de then went on TO say that the clerks
In the executive departments are much
more deserving of an increase i'm salary
than are the employees of Congress in
Dehdlf OF whom number of senator's
had just spoken. The government clerk
does not have the long vacation of the
Capitol employe. he declared nor does hc
receive nearly so high salary for his
labor.
Mr. Bacon next made the interesting
statement that he had made extensive in
qulrles of senator's on the question OF
the proposed Increase and had not found
one who opposed it. All, he declared. be-
lieved the clerks should get more money
He called attention to the fact that Con-
gress had raised its own salaries and
those of the judiciary, and was about To
raise the army and navy salaries and
that The same conditions which made
these acts necessary apply more forcibly
to the government clerk. He demanded
of the senator's in charge of the bill why
1t was necessary to longer postpone the
consideration of the question when every
one admitted the increase was deserved.
A portion of a letter from high de-
partmental official was read by the Geor-
gia senator. in which il was stated that
owing to the small salaries paid to the
clerks, the department in question could
not get the proper amount of work out
of them. The writer asserted that the
subordinate employees of the government
departments We're having a very hard
time to make both ends meet
why defer this matter for a year he
asked. when we have a surplus of two
hundred and fifty million dollars loaned
out to national banks" IT is not if
could not afford it. Besides. 1t is aues-
ton of Justice"
Gallinger Offers Amendment
The fact that the departmental clerk
has no opportunity to press his claim be-
fore Congress was also mentioned by Mr..
Bacon as an additional reason why lie
should be more fairly treated by Con-
gress. He called attention also to the
fact that Congress had established a
precedent for such action by making 4
blanket increase of ~ per cent for one
year with respect to these clerks back in
1867
1t was at this point that he made his
request of the committee to accept the
amendment with d limitati to one year.
stating that If at the end OF that time IL
was found to be d bad thing IL need not
be re-enacted. and that if IL turned out
to be good thing. il undoubtedly
would, then the committee could have
plenty of time to readjust matters to the
new plan in next years appropriation bill.
At this point Senator Gallinger offered
an amendment to the amendment, pro-
vid!ng that the proposed increase apply
to all executive departmental employees
outside Of Washington. employees of tho
District government. of the public Ii
brary. and all employees of Congress who
are now receiving less than 1.SO.
Senator Bacon declared his belief that
this offered to embarrass his amend
mcnt but Mr.. Gallinger smiling. denied
the allegation, saying it was man!festly
unjust TO increase the salaries of ono
class and not Of another of the govern
ment employees. To this Mr.. Bacon re-
piled that Congress might want to pei
world but could not do So He was mere
ly following a precedent. said Mr.. Bacon.
In presenting amendment affecting
only the departmental employees in Wash
in gton and was trying to right this mucss
OF the wrong at least.
With some show of Indignation Mr..
Galinger declared there were clerks in
the pension office receiving s1.3D0 year
and pension agents in his state receiving
but SI2O a year. and he wanted to know
why there should be this discrimination.
Wien Mr. Bacon retorted that 1t cost
nearly twice as much to live here as in
New Hampshire Mr.. Gallinger denied
this.
When the Gallinger amendment had
been tackled onto the Bacon amendment
Senator Warren took the floor and ex-
planned that attempts to increase salaries
in the bill under consideration had failed
in the House and that the bill had come
to the Senate with practically the in
junction that there should be no increases
this year. In spite of this, he said. the
Senate had increased great many
clerks salaries. and would have trouble
enough as it was to keep them in the
bill in conference.
II make the point of order against the