The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1913-03-27
NO PROVISION
FOR SALARY
FOR WILSON

MIN SLIk[IARI CARRIES Oh
DUTIES JUST THE SAME
NEW R' %kcH OF GOVERNMENT
CREATED WITHOUT ANY APP.
PRECIPITATION OF MONEY FOR
THE EXPENSES.
WASHINGTON. March 27-one Of
the peculiar actions of congress dur
Ing the past session, that closed when
President Taft relinquished his du.
ties as the nations chief executive.
was the creation of a new executive
branch of the government service
without appropriating any money to
run the department-the department
OF labor.
President Wilson named William B.
Wilson as secretary of the new de-
partment. who was urged for the
place by the American Federation of
Labor.
Mr.. Wilson, the secretary, comes
to his office every day, just as he did
when he was congressman, per
forms the routine of his work. issues
orders to large number of clerks.
sees visitors and job hunters, has
conferences with Samuel Gompers. of
the American Federation of Labor,
to whom he directly owes his job,
and otherwise attends to the duties
of his position. The situation comes
about, something like this: A desire
on the part of the democratic congreo
to create another government de-
partment which would be able to
consider matters directly affecting
the working men of the country, and
care for and supervise under one
head. many of the governments in
terests, met with the cooperation Of
congressman and also Pres
ident Wilson.
The action was taken during the
last days of the old session, in order
that President-elect Wilson would be
able to look around for a man to
head the department. When word
was received that Presidential Will
son had made up his mind as to this
new cabinet member, the bill was
created the next executive branch.
pushed through congress. 1t simply
No money was appropriated for its
This was partly due
to the timidity of the democrats, be-
cause it was thought that should sew
eral million dollars be asked for to
finance the new department, the bill
would be killed by the republican
members.
Once the bill became law, re-
publican congressman saw how they
had been "buncoed." It was not nee
essary to appropriate money for the
maintenance of the new department
as long as congress had authorized
its establishment. The bill was so
worded that the appropriations Tor
the department of commerce and labor
could be used in paying for the con-
duct of the governments business
in the department of labor.
Appropriations made for the CEN
sus. and other bureaus of the de-
partment of commerce and labor, for
the next fiscal year were just as
good for these bureaus when they
became units of the department OF
labor as they would have been had
they remained part of the department
of commerce and labor.
The republicans who had thought
that they were putting one over
on the democrats, by simply passing
the Dill cT0dIluS Tic dOPe@AS
labor. but not appropriating money
FOR it's support, turned sad faces IN
The direction of the capitol after they
had left their seats and saw how
some of the democratic sharps had
outwitted them.
A fine question, however, that Will
come up for consideration by the
comptroller of the treasury depart
ment sooner or later, is whether or
not Uncle Sam is to be held re-
sponsible for the payment Of Secre-
tarv Wilson's salary of S12,oO0
year. The comptroller is a republl-
can and whether this will influence
his opinion one way or the other on
this technicality discovered IN tne
law creating the department OF labor,
remains to be seen. As 1t appears
at present. Mr.. Wilson will not have
to worry, for the bill creating his
...o~+r,a,.t cnocifipe a secretary and