The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-07-18
WHAT is A LIVING WAGE?
For a Cabinet Officer-Secretary Of
State Bryan Says $4,000 Year
Is Not.

Washington, July 15-Washingto
today was interested chiefly in de-
velopments following Secretary Bry-
ans statement that he had to spend
his vacation on the lecture platform,
because he couldn't live on the secre-
tary of states salary of $4,000 year.
The lobby investigation, the tariff and
the Mexican situation were forgotten,
temporarily, at least, while everybody
talked about the resolution introduced
by Senator Bristow calling on the
president to advise the senate what
would be proper salary 70 enable the
present secrtary of state to live with
comfort and enable him to give his
time the the discharge of his public
duties"
When the Bristow resolution was
read amid Republican laughter, DEM
ocratic Leader Kern and other sena-
! tors Immediately objected to its con-
sideration and after a few brief ex-
changes it went over. 1t was fully
discussed, however, in the lobbies and
cloak rooms. at both ends of the CAPT.
/ tol.
Later Secretary Bryan issued this
statement:
Secretary Bryan's Statement.
when Mr.. Bryan's attention was
called to some criticisms that had
been published in regard to his lectur-
/ ing, he replied as follows:
81 am glad to have the criticism
brought to my attention. I believe in
criticisms of public officials Criti-
cism is helpful. If man makes a
mistake, criticism enables him to cor
rect it; if he is unjustly criticised, the
criticism helps him. 1 have had my
share of criticism since have been in
public life, but it has not prevented
my doing what I thought proper to
do.
'In devoting a part of my vacation
to lecturing, l am doing what I be-
lieve to be proper, and 1 have no fear
whatever that any unbiased person
will criticise me when he knows the
facts.
"For seventeen years the sources of
my income have been writing and lee
turing, but each year I have made
more public speeches, without COM
pensation, and where I have paid my
own travelling expenses, than have
where compensation was received. My
earning capacity has been large and
I have made not only an income suf1-
cient for my immediate needs, but
have saved, on an average, something
more than ten thousand dollars year.
Says He's Making Sacrifice
"In accepting tae Office which l now
hold, 1 gave up the opportunity to add
to my accumulations, for 1 do not ex-
pect to increase, during my term, the
amount 1 have laid aside-that is, I
am willing to forego what advantage
I might derive from the acquiring Of
/ forty thousand dollars more for the
privilege of serving the country in
this Office during the coming four
years. I will do more if necessary,
but l do not believe that fair-minded
people will ask it of me.
Therefore, until see some reason
for changing my purpose I expect to
lecture enough to bring my income up
to my expenses, these lectures to be
delivered during the time that other
officials give to their vacations. In ad-
dition to su9plementing my salary,
hope that my lectures do good-Deo-
pie who attend them would not do so
if they did not think they received
their moneys worth, but 1 would be
glad to spend my vacations resting
instead of lecturing, if could do so
without eating up the amount 1 have
laid away as a protection against old
age"
Pay of Former Secretaries.
Senator Bristow's resolution set out
that from 1889 to 1897 Thomas Jeffer-
son and Edmund Randolph held the
office of secretary of state at salaries
of $1,000 a year; from 1899 to 1879
John Marshall, James Madison, James
Monroe and John Quincy Adams sery-
ed at $4,000; from 1919 to 1858, Henry
Clay, Martin Van Buren, Daniel Web
ster, John C. Calhoun and James
9