The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-04-04

Increase in pay for the government
clerks following a thorough house clean
ing in all of the executive departments.
This is the gist of a sentiment which
was discovered to be afioat yesterday In
Democratic circles.
A general combing-out of the offices of
the government, the abolition of useless
positions, and general economic ad-
justment of expenditures has been in the
minds of the House Democrats for some
time As the first step in the process, the
several expenditures committees of the
House have been furnished with strong
personnel on the majority side as inves-
tisatins material, and the legislative pro-
gramme as outlined in last saturday
caucus has been fitted with the necessary
language to call these committees into
play at the outset of the extra session.
1t is now confidently asserted by several
Of the leaders of the majority that gen.
eral revision of the clerical salary list, to
make it conform with the increased sal
aries of nearly all the officials and other
servants of the government. will be the
just and logical sequence of the depart
ment overhauling.
Wants Thorough Probe.
Let US first investigate the depart
merits to find out what is in them" said
a prominent Democratic member yester-
day. IF salary increases are needed, 1t
will be possible to discover soon just
where this increased expenditure should
be applied. / have no doubt that some
positions in the government should be
abolished altogether, and that. on the
other hand, the pay accompanying many
other positions should be increased 1
am sure the committee will play fair in
this matter, and that, while they are out
for retrenchment and economy. they will
not be ruled by any false ideas in that
regard. / have been OF the opinion for
some time that many salaries in the de-
partments should be increased, but 1 am
unwilling to recommend such action until
{ general overhauling has been accom-
plished.'
There arc at least three members of the
new District Committee of the House
who favor an increase of salary for the
clerks as soon as the work of the ex-
penditures committees has been accom-
plished and their recommendations have
been adopted. Chairman Ben johnson
is one of these; also Representative
Adair, of Indiana. and Representative
Aiken, of South Carolina
Wants Early Action.
The pay of the government clerks
should be given early attention" said
the latter yesterday. IT think that in
creases, where they are deserved, will
como about as a matter of course as
soon as the expenditures committees
have made their investigation and de-
termined what wedding out there is to
do. 1t would be impractical and waste
full for the Democrats to go about the
project in any other way. With a com
plete knowledge of the departments at
our disposal It soon will be possible for
us to determine where larger salaries are
needed 1 am not so sure but that there
should be cuts in a few instances. I am
convinced. however, that the Washington
clerks. as a whole. are drawing pay
much too low for their needs and for
what they deserve"
Liberal pay for the clerks and no pen
sions is the slogan of Representative
Adair.
You can place me unreservedly in the
list of clerks friends" he said yesterday
II am not the clerks friend, however,
when it comes to granting him an old
age pension. Give him a liberal salary
throughout his active service, and II he
does not choose to save up for a rainy
day, it is no longer the governments
concern"