The Washington herald., 1909-01-21
PRESIDENTSSALARY
NOT YET SETTLED
Opponents OfMeaSure HOpetO
Reduce'Pay to $4,000.
MANYREPUBLICANs FAVOR CUT
by Strong Showing
Made When Executives Compensa-
ton Was Doubled In Senate Tues
day, Democrats Hope to Get An
other vote on Amendment.

That the salary Of PTesident-elect Taft.
and his successors il Office Is to be Sloe.-
ooo year is by no means q settled
proposition became known yesterday.
Aside from the dghf on the raise. sure
10 develop in the House. If the appro-
priations bill comes there with this item
inserted by the Senate. it developed yes
terday mat It IS still a matter OF doubt
whether the Senate viii send the ON
across the corridor with an amendment
carrying a salary Of yeoooo for the Chief
Executive
The Senate has been considering this
measure in the Committee Of the Whole.
IN which unlimited debate is allowed. Il
VIII be remembered that on Tuesday.
when Senator Clay, Of Georgia. offered
an amendment placing the salary Of the
President at y75.ele per annum. without
allowance for railroad fare. his propOs.-
ton was defeated By the narrow vote OF
- TO %
Many Favor Reduction.
This was BY no means a party vote. as
a number Of the thirty-one Democrats
were absent from the chamber. some even
from the city, while Of those present sew
eral were prevented from voting BY their
pairs As matter Of fact. there we're
a number Of Republican votes for this
salary from members who have never
been classed as insurgents or anti-admin-
istration.
It vas evident 10 every one that there
was a strong feeling in the Senate that
s75.ooo a year was about the proper figure
for the Presidents salary.
Only a few untoward circumstances pre-
vented tie vote on this question. and It
IS easy now to figure out how Il might
even have been a victory for the oDposi-
ton TO the Sl00.GO9 salary.
Senator Taliaterro, OF Florida. FOR in
stance. left the chamber TO visit the
House a moment before the vote, under
the impression that it would not come to
a vote before he could return. His gen
eral pair is Senator Nathan Scott of West
Virginia Senator Scott, not noticing the
absence Of Senator Taliaferro. voted
against the s75.t00 amendment
When his attention was called TO the
fact that his pair was not in the cham
Der, he withdrew his vote. This would
have left II tie, but a moment later
Senator Scott transferred his pair to an
other Senator, and re-recorded his vote in
the negative
This was the one vote by which the
proposition was defeated one moment
after the teller had begun to call the
vote. Senator Taliaferro entered the cham
Der. It was too late.
This, and similar circumstances. have
aroused the minority to what they con-
s.cer the unfairness OF the transfer of
pairs. and it is quite probable that an
effort viii be made to abolish the custom.
Minority Is Encouraged.
The very liberal support given BY mem
bers Of the majority TO the $1,000 proposi-
ton has encouraged the minority TO be
iieve that il another opportunity were
given TO vote on the question, victory
might easily be theirs. The sentiment
was strongly 70 that effect yesterday. If
it IS unchanged, there viii undoubtedly
be another yea and nay vote to-day on
the amendment when the bill as a whole
comes before the Senate for passage.
Here IS where parliamentary practice
plays an important part in the contest
between those who favor and those who
oppose large salaries. Action on the bin
10 date has been by the Senate sitting as
q committee of the whole The entire
bill must come before that body again for
final passage, and at this time there viii
be an opportunity 10 vote 'on each and
every amendment, If il be so desired
If a vote is not demanded on the provi-
sion giving the President Si00,C00, Il will
be because the supporters Of a smaller
salary have foreseen defeat