The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1908-02-18
CONGRESS IS CRUEL
And Il Is Probably More I'm
relentiDg Than Nero,
WHAT HAPPENED SATURDAY
Would You He Inclined 10 Give n
Lot OF Surveyors General, whom
They Had worked Thirty-twO
Years without Ones-Not Much.

congress rs cfuci ana unlclenIlus. " ny.
there probably never was an organization
so unreIenting as Congress. not even ex-
cepting Nero. who was more OF a cor
porstion than an organization. although
some Of the latter are pretty shy on
souls. too
II was last Saturday eve. over the
mountains the sun had set some hours
before, being tired from crossing the
plains, the rivers, and &c, which
travellers tell about Some time had the
beautiful orb OF day been hid out OF
sight. John Jones. spry yet for an old
man-how realistic that sounds-sOftly
raised the latch of the gate before the
fourth house from the north corner of
FOrty-fourth street, in Tucson. and en-
tered the yard.
lie had walked into ;hat yard just 80
times thirty-two. excluding Sundays and
the times when he zigzagged in at a
later hour than the one so maguincently
portrayed above. John felt elated. Why
should he not? He was the State surveyor
general and had been getting 5000
year.
For Thirfy-tUO Years.
He had been getting the S2.G00 for thirty
two years. 50 you can easily ascertain
that John wasn't an Arizona Rookie
Teller Not hardly. But John had hopes
this day--it was only last Saturday-how
time fiies-he had hopes that the great
and good Congress would give him S2,O50
at least 1t had been but few months
before that the Department Of the In
terror took away all the fees which John
used to get for work outside that done
for The State or the government
This had amounted 10 something. but
now it was gone and John had 10 de-
pend on his $500 for food and clothes
and the weather reports and the books
on agriculture for fuel. But who is this
boy who comes with almost discerniblc
footsteps into the Jones yard? It is a
messenger boy He messages a telegram
John tears II open quickiy-he hash {
had a telegram since his mother-in-law
left this country on prolonged vaca-
tion-viSions come dancing and pirouetting
before his eyes of al least $3.50 per.
If II could only be s2.09S." be muttered
aloud.
As he looked upon those fateful words.
a triflc missDcllcd-thcy were written By
Ia Mexican typewriter-he graspcd sud-
denly at the boy beside him. and gasped-
Congress IL cruel: not cent Of raise
out of point OF order"
Back 10 the Hill.
Let US leave John and come back 70
the wing Of the House upon the Hill
There. on Saturday afternoon. while the
sun was still high I'm the Jones front
yard. Congress had a sad time with the
salaries Of the surveyors general Of four
teen States
Truth compels the reluctant statement.
however. that the. salaries had a still
sadder time with Congress. There are. &C
cording TO an authority, fourteen Of these
surveyors general, who az present receive
5000 per annum. According 10 another
authority under the statutes the sur
vcyors-2eneral are entitled 10 receive
g 900 per tWelve-month reception.
When the item in the legislative, execu-
tive and judicial appropriation bill cali
ing for surveyor general for Arizona
was presented, the Delegate from that
State. Marcus A. Smith. proposed an
amendment which would have changed
the salary stated in the original bill from
5000 70 5000.
Chairman Tawney. Of the Appropria-
tons Committee: Representative Bingham.
who managed its drafting and other
members sat down hard upon Mr. Smith S
proposal. Not only upon Mr. Smiths pro-
posal. but upon similar proposals made
by Representatives OF States and Terri
tories. from \ 10 Z, in which there are
surveyor generals.
Recently Cut on.
Recently the emoluments which have
/ accompanied these offices in some sec
tons. have been cut of by order Of the
Interior Department so that many OF
the Western Representatives feel that
Congress should now raise their salaries
the surveyors generals salaries. no Con-
gresham wants more pay-to make Up.
But the point Of order welded with
deadly effect upon the right hand and
the left. upon the Democrat and Republi-
can. moved down these Sl.oO0 raises ike
( s.. 10000 conspiracies are moved down
I by the hands Of true friends.
/ Congress is very cruel and certainly
unrelenting. All these men. their prede-
| cessors, their heirs and assigns. forever
and back again. are going TO work. APP