The Washington herald., 1912-05-04
HOUSE ECONOMY
PAINFUL PROCESS
Members Are Touchy Over
Attempts to Pare Their
Easy Money"
RETAIN MILEAGE BONUS

The House Of Representatives con-
sumed a large part Of the debate on
the legislative, executive and judicial
appropriation bill yesterday in efforts
to reform itself. Some of the efforts
were successful: others were not, but
the general programme seemed to be
not without pain TO some of the members
The first operation attempted to sep
arate the members from a part OF the
mileage "easy-money." II was success
full, as have been numerous similar at
tempts in the past. The members voted
TO retain the twenty cents a mile for
travelling expenses to and from their
homes, refusing to reduce the $4,000
item contained in the bill for that pur-
pose. An amendment offered by Repre-
sentative Page Of North Carolina, seek
ing to reduce the mileage to five cents
met with instant and determined op-
position from the prince of parers" of
all appropriation bills, Representative
Fitzgerald, who was supported by former
Speaker Cannon Representative Sher-
ley Of Kentucky met with no better sue
cess when he sugguested that the mem
bers be allowed actual travelling expenses
Both amendments We're voted down.
Cannon Takes n Trick.
Mr.. Cannon later caught his Demo-
adding S2l6,5OO to the annual expenses of
the government by having the salaries
OF clerks TO members, delegates and resi-
dent commissioners, a proceeding which
brought forth violent protest from his
former ally, Representative Fitzgerald,
and wild screams of pain from Fowler
of Illinois.
In the course of the debate over the
two questions, members told each other
MA he ah
Representative Fitzgerald said that the
clerks were used by the members prin-
cipally for private campaign purposes,
such as mailing circulars and speeches
to constituents and keeping the anxious
voter thoroughly informed of the prog
ress OF his representative in Congress.
Mr.. Fitzgerald stated with winning frank
ness that such was the case with him
self. Representative johnson, of South
Carolina, who is in charge Of the bill,
and who yesterday told the House that
in hardly a dozen cases were salaries of
government clerks reduced, asked his
colleagues how they expected to keep
down salaries of government clerks when
they were continually, in effect, raising
their own.
Judge Bartlett Aroused.
Mr.. Johnson's insinuation-it was not
a novel one-that in many cases a large
part of the money allowed members for
clerical hire found its way permanently
into the pockets of the members. aroused
Representative Bartlett Of Georgia, who
succeeded in doing the only successful
piece of reform work Of the afternoon.
Judge Bartlett was counted winner in
the contest by Representative Under
wood. who was presiding. Mr.. Under
wood refused to sustain a point of order
against Mr.. Bartletts resolution placing
the names Of all clerks Of members on
the House roll, on the ground that the
original provision in the bill placing the
salaries at $500 a yearly the Cannon
amendment the salaries were raised TO
S9,OOO-was Illegal, without precedent, and
would have been ruled out had a point
of order been raised against it.
Representative Fitzgerald. who had
protested that large part OF the work
Of the clerks was upon private business
Of their employers, fought the Bartlett
amendment hard. as did Representative
Olmsted of Pennsylvania. The amend
ment was carried finally by a vote Of
IS to -
The remainder of the session, which
lasted until nearly o'clock. was con-
sumed with wranglings over nearly every
item in the lengthy bill. When the de-
bate was closed for the night only twenty
pages had been gone through. There
are nearly $50 pages to the bill. The bill
will be resumed when the House con-
venes at II o'clock this morning.
The government clerks. as a body and
the civil service plan did not enter into
the debate yesterday. as that section of
the bill which provides for a fve-year
tenure Of Office for clerks in Washington
and for the dismissal in 1914 of all clerks
siXty-fve years old or over was not
reached.