Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-03

preston on the country we must begin
economy with ourselves The amount /
have mentioned is sufficient to pay our
mileage"
Representative Sharp of Ohio said 20
cents a mile for representatives, the ex-
listing rate. is Is cents too much. and he
favored the cut.
Former Speaker Cannon spoke on the
subject. He used sarcasm when he said :
Il am a multimillionaire, and people
say I made 1t as a member OF the House.
Il want to say that expenses Of long
campaigning-Ive drawn a quarter of a
million of dollars from public funds. and
j want to say I've spent one-half a mil
lion. How did I get IT? Oh. had q
modest competency in black Illinois land.
1--WE never apologized for the salaries
I've received. do want to say I have
but little patience with the proposition
that splits hairs on the little question
of mileage-the money that brings our
families here.
THAT kind Of economy doesn't bring
votes. In every Congress I've seen
much agonizing to get rid OF this
mileage"
Mr.. Cannon spoke Of Representative
Holman, the watchdog OF the Treas
ury." who opposed mileage appropri-
alton for an extra session.
Favors Even Larger Salaries.
THE House overruled him. and met
his daughter that day, who, with tears
in her eyes, said her father was wrong
and that 1 was in the right
Speaking of the democratic economies,
Mr. Cannon said
The country hasn't paid any more at
tention to your economies than 1t has
TO last years birds nest. We earn
our salaries. If / had my way I'd in
crease our salaries. especially that part
which enables US to keep track of our
business Mr.. Cannon was referring to
Representative Sherley of Kentucky Of
fered an amendment to limit the mileage
10 actual cost of members and the i'm
mediate family
II have never felt it justifiable to pay
ourselves extra salaries under the gliise
or mileage. 1t also creates an inequality
among members. I am not willing to
give to representatives who live in dis
tant points greater salary than to other
members"
Twenty-Cent Rate Upheld.
Representative Sharp held up a photo
graph of twelve children.
Would you allow these children, all
belonging to a member OF this House,
to travel on the mileage Of q MEMBER
Yes said Mr.. Sherley, and I'd give
= citizen of the sort that father is a little
extra
Representative Fitzgerald said that in
all his thirteen years in the House he had
seen the same sort of arguments forward
ed almost yearly-but the House always
voted to sustain the mileage rate of 20
cents.
3. Representative Mann interposed for
about one minute.
Representative Fitzgerald said:
10 will IA o
time he will hasten the end of this ses-
sion of Congress-
Representative Fitzgerald said the coun-
Try has acquiesced in the mileage rate.
The Sherley amendment was lost. The
Page amendment was also lost by a vote
Of 43 yeas to no nays. The House upheld
he rule of 20 cents mile for representa-
lives.
No Raise for Phone Girls.
Representative Garner of Texas offered
an amendment to raise the pay Of the
hight telephone operator in the House
rom 800 to $500. He said that other
operators in the House receive $780, Rep
resentative Fitzgerald, chairman Of the
appropriations committee, which boosted
Of but a single raise in pay in the whole
pill. covering 14.S77 salaries, opposed the
dea with a technical point-and won The
salary will not be raised by the House.
Representative Hamlin of Missouri OBJ
iected to the appropriation for only three
assistant engineers in the House office
building. He said the work required
four assistants. Letters which he pre-
sented depicted a bad state In the engine
-oom of the House Office building as
compared to the Senate side.
There Is a man in that engine room
who has been there for twenty-five years
he is very competent. and though he is
carried as a laborer he puts in his
lime really as an engineer Elliott Wood
says the man is needed, and the man /
speak Of ought not to be compelled to-
10 the work of an engineer at Ia
,orer's salary" -
Hamlin Proposition Lost.
The Hamin proposition was lost a re-
suit in keeping with the democratic idea
1t to Provide any advances in salaries
This idea was further shown when Rep
,esentative Lafferty Of Oregon asked the
House to insert an amendment to pay
$500 year for the services OF the clerks
% the committee on mileage. Mr.. Laf-
erty said r. c. Collins. clerk to Robert
E. Lee of Pennsylvania. has been doing
the work of the committee on mileage
.or nothing
Collins is a bureau Of information in
mileage AFFAIRS said Mr.. Lafferty. HE
ought not to be expected to serve for
nothing
The idea of an extra expense did not
appeal to the House. The matter was
1fr& - ard