Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-18
BRYAN IS BITTERLY
FLAYED IN SENATE
ScathingIy Arraigned by Town.
send as ''Neglecting Du-
ties for Personal GAIN"
SEES "RUIN OF PUBLIC
SERVICE" IN Precedent
Declares Secretary of State Is Doing
What Is Expressly Prohibited to
Subordinate Employees.

aside from the technical and legal
question Of the right of public servant
to sell his services twice, the public an
nouncement by Mr.. Bryan that man of
| his well advertised democratic tastes
cannot live on an income Of $1,000 a
year presents a moral question for the
| consideration of the American people"
| declared Senator Townsend, republican.
of Michigan In a speech in the Senate
today.
THE question is simply this: Whether
| under the circumstances 1t Is the duty of
the citizen and the public servant to
| modify his style Of living to bring 1t
| within his legitimate income. or whether
| it is his privilege to resell his services
in order to cover the cost of the style of
| living he has adopted"
Senator Townsends speech was an at
tack upon the Secretary of State for his
proposal Of making paid lectures during
his tenure of office to increase his In
| come.
Privilege Denied subordinates.
He declared that other cabinet officers
were living on dollar
salaries; that subordinates in the govern
| ment departments would not be allowed
| to do other work while holding their po-
| sitions, and that because OF his previous
attitude before the people Mr.. Bryan
should have felt an obligation to live
within moro rigid lines.
For more than fifteen years Mr. Bryan
has posed as a public censor Of man and
measures" said Senator Townsend. He
has preached the duties Of citizenship
and assumed to establish standards of
public service. His public acts, there
except the President. are of influence in
the fixing Of standards Of public service
and public policy. II the American peo-
pie remain silent at this time. and by
their silence give their inferential ap-
prevail or assent to the policy Mr.. Bryan
| fetal toward his duties must be assumed
| to be q permanent feature of our gov
| ernmental institutions.
For my part l feel impelled to voice
! a protest / am no respecter of persons.
1 see no reason why the head of a de-
| partment should be permitted to make
private gain by methods that are forbid.
den to his subordinates. l see nothing
| in his announced policy that is not
| equally available to any man or woman
in the government employ, and certainly
/ no one will question the assertion that
the general application Of that policy
would mean the absolute ruin OF public
| service
"Why This Discrimination"
| ut has been ordered by another mem
Der Of the cabinet that postmasters shall
| not engage in any other business than
that relating to their Offices as postmas-
tiers. The same rule is applied to other
subordinate federal off1ceholders. Why
this discrimination in favor of a high
| saiaried officer against the low-saiaried
| one?
| Mr.. Bryan says he Is selling his time,
| energies and talents to private tnd1vid-
| uals or organizations because his official
| salary Is not enough for him to Live
upon. He Is receiving $12. 600 a year. In
1 the government service there are thou
| sands Of employees who receive less than
/ one-tenth Of that sum, and who in these
| days Of high cost of living find 1t diff
/ cult to live within their income Not one
| Of these thousands. however. Is permitted
| to abandon his post of duty and sell his
| time and energies and talents to others
| for his action II Mr.. Bryan's example
| shall be followed by public employees
l generally, who can see the extent OF In
| jury to the public service?
| 1T we are 20 adopt the policy OF piac-
| ing the dollar above public duty. then
/ the door Of opportunity should not be
| opened to one citizen and closed to an
other. If there Is to be discrimination
1t should be In favor of the poorly PAID
| man, but 1 see no reason why a distinc-
ton should be made.
Comes at Grave Time, He Says.
"At q time when most unusual foreign
complications confront US: when the Jap,
anese question is before US: when our re-
l LAT xry{t hA dtctt, ned
the south of US are most grave and
fraught with mighty responsibilities
| when treaties affecting our relations witt
various nations of Europe are pending
and awaiting the action OF this nation
| when the question OF Panama canal tolls
is pressing hard upon us: when the al
legged claims OF Colombia are being
urged: when the Congress is dealing with
the tariff containing provisions which
may affect our diplomasS relations witt
other countries-indeed. at this time above
all others the statement of Mr.. Bryan
that he proposed to desert his Office FOL
J the purpose OF personal financial gaiI
comes IS a shock to all thoughtful people
This action 10 even more inexcusabl'
when II Is known that the Secretary Ia:
been in office but a few months. and from
the nature of things he cannot have be
come familiar with all of the RESPONSE
bilities OF his great position. The Secre
tary OF State Is regarded as the most i'm
portant executive Onlcer OF the govern
8 Inent below the President. He Is premier
OF the cabinet. he should be the first ex
ample Of faithful, intelligent devotion q
duty.
, Has Advocated Pure Democracy.
Il know Of nothing more unfortunat
to the cause of public virtue and single
ness OF purpose for high ideals than thi
expressed determination of Mr.. Bryan
upheld by the reason which he gives
When he entered into the implied con
tract with the government to serve a
Secretary of State he knew what tn
5 salary OF that position was. He had 70
years proclaimed the doctrine Of tn
simple nfe-of pure democracy. H
knew that $1,000 per month was the com
pensation he would receive from the gov
\ eminent To majority OF people Il
: public and private life that compensatio
q seems most adequate, and yet now he de
clares to the country that 1t is INSULT
!. Gent to meet his expenses as Secretar
] of State.
D His salary Is the same as that re
I ceived by the other cabinet officers an