The Washington times., 1912-05-04
MEMBERS OF HOUSE
VOTE TO INCREASE
OWN ALLOWANCES
No Reduction in Mileage and
Clerk Hire Boosted
a., to $4,000.

After spirited deblt, the House went
{ IN record twice late yesterday in favor
ot the liberal treatment Of its own
members. although the legislative, exc
cutive. and judicial bill under discus
sion has been chal-a cterizcd as anything
hut lheral in its provisions for the
/ executive departments and the Govern
ment employees OF washington.
First, the House declined to lower the
mileage allowances Of its members. AMI
an hour or so later it voted to increase
from $3.50 to $1,000 per annum the al
luwancc 10 members for clerk hire.
Questions Honesty.
This latter proposition caused Con-
: grCssman Fitzgerald of New York to
! ask, Is the Democratic party really
, honest? DOcs It mean what 1t pro-
claims. or has 1t been hippodrominS?
, Mr.. Fitzgerald was referring to Demo-
cratic economy promises. and became
involved in quite Il heated argument
with Congressman Lever. n Fellow
Democrat, as to what constituted real
economy. and the difference between
"extravngauce' and economical in
vestment."
After the House. by the close vote of
! So to 4s, had voted it's members in
man Bartlett of Georgia obtained the
adoption of still another amendment
which was unpopular with some men,
bers.
Bartlett for Publicity.
, The Bartlett amendment provided that
the clerks to members of the House
shall be placed on the rolls and this
will show to whom the 81, 900 allowance
/ Ia paid. 1t was hinted that some MEM
bers have been accustomed to spending
. less than the 81, 500 allotted for clerical
assistance, the remainder being 'pock-
eted' by the member
No claim was made that this was
morally wrong, but the acton OF the
House frowns upon the alleged practice
OF pooling whereby several members
utilize the same clerk, at reduced cost
to each legislator.
Amendment Adopted.
Mr.. Bartlett's amendment, which en-
bodies a reform for which he has fought
for several years, reads as follows:
Amend. by adding to the section the
following: Provided, that all clerks to
members and Delegates shall be placed
on the roll Of employees of the House
and be subject to be removed al the
will of the members or Delegates by
whom they are appointed, and any
member or Delegate may appoint one
. or more clerks, who shall be placed on
the roll as the clerk of such member or
Delegate making such appointment. "
Both the amendments were adopted
after Congressman Underwood, presd-
81 ing, had .oyerruled points of order made
against them. 1t developed that there
/ was actual authorization in law for only
81, 200 allowance for clerk hire. but for
So 4 nod
appropriated. Since no point of order
was made against the $500 increase. Mr..
Underwood held that a still further in
crease over the old $1,000 was germane
to the paragraph and the point of order
did not prevail.
Plain Talk In Debate.
Plain talk was indulged in during
the debate on the proposition to in
crease the clerk hire perquisite. Sew
eral members pointed out that the
bill carried no advance in salaries for
Government employees and the execu-
tive departments and in a vain at
tempt to uphold the Appropriation
Committees ec2nornE program Chair
johnson, of South Carolina, in charge
Of the bill INDUCED in heated ora
"Gncle Joe" Cannon. who offered
the amendment t. increase the SAL
aries of secretaries from $1,000 to
$4,000 said:
experience. that $1,000 does not cover
the cost of clerical assistance that
! am required to have to perform my
duties as a member of Congress
touching and INCIDENT to legislation.
and I doubt If $500 will do it for
any member. can not always get
competent clerk who Is stenog
rapher and typewriter. You have at
times, under stress, to have assistance
additional to the one person.
Fitzgerald Objects.
Congressman Fitzgerald declared with
much emphasis
This amendment adds $2l6OO to the
amount OF money paid to members OF
the House for clerk hire. This Congress
at the outset practically reduced the
compensation of every employe in the
House except those personal to the
members of Congress. 1t refused to ap-
propriate an extra months compensa
tion, which for more than thirty or
forty years had been given to the en-
ployes of the House, Gentlemen do not
need clerks of the character described
by the gentleman from South Carolina
Mr.. Lever, to perform their congress
sional duties. Those clerks are en-
gagged not in performing great public
services, but in trying to cultivate a
public opinion favorable to the mem.
bers of the House.
we might as we'll face this PROPOSE
ton squarely. Is the Democratic party
honest? 1t is sincere? Does it NEAR
what 1t proclaims or has it been hip
podroming? 1t is refusing to increase
the compensation of employees in every
department OF the Government in ar
pouring of money from the Fedora
Treasury only to succumb to the pro
position that the allowance to members
of this House for clerk hire shall bC
GnF