The San Francisco call., 1908-12-20
PRESIDENTS PAY
TOOSMALLFORJOB
Senator Bourne Declares Cares
and Risk of Position Merit
Higher Salary
Explains Bill Providing 100000
a Year for Executive and
S25,0O0 for Chief of Senate

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19.-Explaining
his bill increasing the salaries of
president and vice president, Senator
Bourne OF Oregon said today, aside
from all sentiment in the matter, he is
II the opinion that the man who is
big enough TO be president Of the
United States, the biggest corporation
. 3n the world, is certainly as big, in
the business OF government, as rail
road president or the manager Of a
. manufacturing concern and should be
paid what the demands of the position
indicate as a fair compensation. He
declared that he also would make the
extrahazardous risk of the position a
basis for the justice of the bill.
He said that while the salary of
tOday's business manager is measured
by the magnitude of the enterprise as
well as by his fitness. the presidents S
salary has never borne any relatively
adequate proportion to the mental and
physical work and worry of the posi-
iion, which are annually increasing.
The president is charged he added,
with graver and greater responsible
ties than any other person in the world
The cares. attentiveness, alertneSs and
elimination of personal interest neces-
sary for good service are a continuous
and terrific strain upon the mental and
physical vigor of the chief executive.
The tenure of life Of the presidents
since and including the elder Harrison
has decreased perceptibly."
Senator Bourne called attention to
tie fact that the president of France
receives $4,000 as a personal salary
and a like amount for executive eX-
penditures. He said the comparison
does our country no credit when 1t is
remembered that our national wealth is
estimated at s127. .000. goo 000 while
that OF France is estimated at only
s5z. .00O. 600, ,0O0.
Another reason Bourne gave why
The presidents salary should be raised
was that "as a rule those who have
served our country as president have
generally devoted their preceding years
more or less to public service and
therefore have not entered the office
well equipped with this worlds goods.
1T is a fact" he added, that almost
every man who enters public life poor
dies poor. which seems to be the pen
atty Of public service in America. al
though IL is a hattering commentary
on the integrity of our public servants
senator Bourne's bill proposes that
tho president shall receive a salary of
100000 and the vice president s25, ,000.
Fulton Scores EIkins
WASHINGTON. Dec. l9-The failure
Of Senator Elkins, chairman of the
committee on interstate commerce. to
bring in a report on Senator Fulton's
bill providing that an advanced rail-
road rate shall not go into effect until
its reasonableness was passed uDon by
the interstate commerce commission
caused Senator Fulton to again bring
the matter TO the attention OF the SEN
ate today.
Speaking humorously, Senator Fulton
requested that the senate remain in
session until Senator EIkins could have
time to reach the capital He said the
senator from West Virginia had given
him his promise that the bill would be
reported before the holidays He
finally stated that If the senator should
fail TO report the bill he would ask
the senate after the Christmas holidays
10 consider it without a committee re-
pOrt