Evening star., 1915-02-20
Mr.. Root Advocates Increased
Salaries for the Executive
Department Employees.
TALKS OF THE. HIGHER PAY
FOR CLERKS OF SENATORS
New Yorker's Comment on Items in
the Legislative, Executive and
Judicial Bill.

A plea that the salaries of the clerks
in the executive departments of the gov
ernment be raised, if any salaries paid
by the government are to be raised, was
made in the Senate yesterday afternoon
by Senator Root of New York He was
criticising items in the legislative, ex-
which provide for increases of pay for
various clerks of senators at the Capitol
The senator said:
THE most admirable impulses of our
nature tend to make every chairman of a
committee desire to increase the pay of
his clerks. Some of US increase the paw
of our clerks out of our own pockets; but
observe the process: One at a time. one
after another. all these clerks will have
their pay raised. That has already been
DONE While we are very stern about the
pay or the clerks in the executive depart
nehtS. We are very kind and considerate
ABOUT the pay of clerks of Senate COM
Inittees. 1t IS demoralzing to see the men
who fix the salaries applying two different
rules to two different sets of clerks-the
RUE OF strict economy to the Door fell
lows who do not have access to us. who
40 not nave an opportunity to appeal to
our kindly sympathes, and the rule of
large hearted generosity to the men we
appoint ourselves and who are in daily
contact with US.
Speaks for Men Who Have No .Pu1l :,
i should like to see all their salaries
Increased, but / am yielding now to an
impulse to say something for the men
VINO lave not any pull to say something
Ior the men who cannot get a senator
ana work upon his sympathies. You go
through the list of the employees of the
senate from top to bottom and YOU will
ma that for services no higher in char
acter' no more important, calling for no
greater ability or experience, we are nav
Ins our own favorites here so per cent
nU,e nn',.e, ahan we permit the men in the ex-
ecutive departments to be paid
Senator Thomas of Colorado ;,+a,
rupted Senator Root, saying:
- am In entire sympathy with the
Hne OF the senator's argument hut he
naoe statement moment ago to the
erect that he wanted to say some
thing for the class of officials who
could not get at senators. If there is
any such class here, / should like to
know 1t, because 1 have been Iahorinp
under the deiusion. based upon my own
experience, that every one in pubIic
office had no trouble at all in getting at
senators.
aAAeSes Barrier OF Repulsion."
Mr.. Root replied:
IF they do. they do not get at me.
If they do get at any senator it is with
a barrier of repulsion between him and
them. The poor fellow who gets hold
of senator in the lobby or on the
street or elsewhere in his casual and
ineffective way does not really get at
him. These gentlemen who are in our
committee rooms and working with US,
and for whom we have regard and
esteem and often affection, are the ones
that really get at us. / should like to
see the salaries increased, but / repeat,
we cannot retrench, economic and
have cheerful and effective service
when we apply two different rules to
government employees; when We apply
the rule of large generosity to our own
friends and the rule of strict, severe
and parsimonious economy to the
clerks
Defense of Increases.