Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-19
OBJECTS TO SALARY
PA|DLEGAL ADVISER
Representative Fowler Opens
Fight on Pay of District
Corporation Counsel.
Is RULED OUT OF ORDER
AFTER AIRING HIS VIEWS
Appropriation Bill for Local Govern
ment Is Again Considered
in House.


Representative Fowler OF Illinois onenea
d ight on the salary of the corporatio,
. eouiisei as soon as the District appropria
tioh Dill was taken up on the floor OF the
iiouse today, and continued a constant
running hre of objection 10 paying 81. .J9s
ior the work of the Districts chief law
ohhcer untii Wei on toward the middle of
."e afternoon, when Representative Cor
oeu nun OF Tennessee, chairman OF ths
committee on the whole. ruled Mr. Fowler
out OF order Representative Fowler at
tempted the same sort of fight on In.
District bin last year
Tie contended that there is authority
.vr ohiy S,o1 for this salary. During
the rather strenuous debate every law
on the subject of the Districts legal de-
partment passed since the District legis
iative assembly i'm 1871 was brought into
play, and Representative Fowler enaeav-
ored to say that the acts of the old terri
torial government still stand at least
on the subject OF the corporation counsel
Representative Fowler and Representa-
tive Fitzgerald of New York, chairman
of the appropriation committee. had a
warm minute or two when the latter re
marked with disgust i'm his tone that the
Congressional Record was being ciut-
tered up with rubbish, and that the value
OF the time that was being wasted would
pay for the corporation counsels salary
Tor tae rest of the year
Following the withdrawal of Repre-
sentative trisD's proposed amendment
to abrogate the half-and half principle,
the District appropriation bill will
probably meet with the ordinary rou-
tine distractions from on. and.
in the opinion of Representative Page
from North Carolina, i'm charge of the
bill, ie ought to be through the House
tomorrow ia ri
seeming the objection to lacking his
bill TO the appropriation bill rider,
announced yesterday afternoon that he
would not attempt to offer il as an
amendment
Representative Mondell of wyoming
offered an amendment to give the Com
| Inissioners $4,000 to be used immedi-
ately by the public utilities commission
20 make physical valuation of pub
lie service corporations in the District
of Columbia. The amendment was voted
down.
johnson Amendment Struck Out.
Representative Johnson's amendment
to prohibit employees of the municipal
architects Office from taking outside
| employment similar to that on which
they are regularly employed by the
District of Columbia was stricken out
On point of order from Chairman
rage. Representative Johnson con-
ceued the point. Representative Page
referring to the $4,500 salary for the
corporation counsel, said that the point
or order raised by Representative Fow-
Ter of Illinois was not well taken -
! the salary is not fixed by law and that
The amount can be fixed by any APP
preparation act Representative Fow-
ier referred to an act OF August ISL
Dy the first Legislative assembly Of the
District OF Columbia. fixing the cor
poIatM.on ION counseIs salary at $4,000. He
sald the act had never been repeal ID.
ana READ several pages of the old law
Does the gentleman contend that an
act OF the old territorial legislature
should bind us here?' asked Representa-
1--WE HUI OF Tennessee chairman of the
committee on the whole
Mr. Fowlers reply was that every ler-
islative act since 1871 has been of such q
character as TO carry out the provisions
of the territorial government laws on the
subject.
he concluded by saying that Congress
picked up the salary of the corporution
counsel at 5000 and that there is no ex
listing authority for making it a cent
higher. He also said he had read every
line of law on the subject passed since
1871.
Drawing Too Much Money, he Says
For thirty-ffve years this Office has
been drawing too much money Ii is az
wrong to violate civil statute as il is 10
violate criminal statute he said, in
sisting on his point
Representative Page replied:
Il was not ignorant of the statute OF
the District territorial legis ature, which
was body that every one is TRYING TO
forget" He read the history of subse-
quent acts Of Congress placing the sal
ary at $500. Representative Mann OF
Illinois interjected the remark that the
rarn -crat inn IL
not at all the same as the old solicitors
office of the days of 1871.
Representative Fitzgerald said: ..Evi-
IDENTIFY some one with grudge has dug
up the statutes in order to furnish the
gentleman with these old laws Anv
one who reads the Congressional Record
might think that $4,000 in illegal sal
aries has been paid out 10 the corporation
counsel and ought to be recovered from 4
the District of Columbia and paid back
There ought to be d rule of the House
to keep that sort of rubbish out OF the
Record.
Time of House Worth Money.
How law officer of standing can be
obtained TO act as corporation counsel for
s4.Joo 1 don't know, but il is done Now
we have taken up enough time of the
House. computed in money, 10 pay this
salary for the rest of the year.
1T is ridiculous 10 bring up this old
legislative act of 1871 TO confront Con-
gress now.
Fowler grew angry and made a retort
in which the word graft figured
THE gentlemans statement is abso-
lutely without foundation" returned
Representative Fitzgerald. who jibed al
Representative Fowler that he had been
favoring high appropriations for a posi-
office i'm his state.
Representative Hull. chairman, ruled
that Representative Fowler's point OF
order was out Of order and the corpora
tion counsePs salary of si,J0o remains in
the BILL
Time for Rearrangement, He Says.
Chairman Page took considerable time
Yesterday afternoon to explain TO the
committee on the whole the section or
the bill which forces the District TO pay
back to the United States SI.4o0,O0o in
District revenues not TO be utilized by ex-
penditures for District needs. After The
Stars report of yesterday had closed
Representative Page said that he be-
ljeyes the time has come for a rearrange-
n,ent of the fiscal affairs between the
District and the federal government. lie