Evening star., 1916-12-20
DEFENSE EXPENSE
BARS HIGH SALARIES
Mr.. Van Dyke Explains Small!
Increases to Federal En-
pIoyes and Teachers.
REFERS TO HOUSE ACTION

| Of money being spent on the army and
| navy Of the country and the three-hun-
dred deficit as shown by
| the appropriation bills are reasons
/ which helped defeat in Congress meas
| ures for salary increases of more than
| 5 and 10 per cent to federal employees
and school teachers of the District, ac-
cording to Representative c. c. Van
Dyke of Minnesota.
Speaking to a mass meeting of pub
lie school employees held under auspices
| Of the High School Teachers Union, at
the new Central High School last night,
Representative Van Dyke told his
hearers that the one big argument used
on the floor of the House to defeat
those who worked for large salary
increase was:
We have this great deficit today
where are we going to get the money
| to do what you ask"
Cause of Big Deficit.
The cause for the big deficit. the
speaker said. was to be seen in the
SlSO.000.O00 increase for the army and
| navy. Representative Van Dyke point
| ed out that his reference to this mat
ter could not be impugned to lack of
p"eA .oIAoiiA oil HIS part, SiS HIS dHCeSIOTS
fought in the revolutionary war, his
father in the civil war and himself in
the Spanish American war.
Il believe. as firmly as stand here"
he continued. that the greatest pre-
paredness is a contented and well sat
isfed people within the boundaries of
a nation"
All sources OF revenue during the
present fiscal year, Representative Van
Dyke said, will be in excess of $685.
100000. OF this amount s7S1,s6s, 4ss
will be used for the army and navy
and s151, $4,000 for pensions, making a
total Of S917.523.439 for war purposes
and because Of war.
"Time to Stop and Consider"
This is total of 90 per cent of the
total resources of the country, to be
spent for war and because Of war, an
increase of per cent over last year.
When we find 80 per cent of our re-
sources being spent for war, it Is time
to stop and considerf' Representative
Van Dyke declared.
when you show me a community Of
| laboring men-either those who shovel
in the street or those who push q pen
behind a mahogany desk-where wages
are such that they can maintain homes
that are homes. you show me a pros
porous community" the speaker said.
Here we are tonight. gathered in
building that cost a million and a half
dollars, 1 am told. You people WHO
years preparing for your task. Yet
here Is great government hiring
| teachers. at the beginning. at $500 a
year. We have spent a million and
half dollars. and we don't think enough
OF the mental condition of our children
| to see to 1t that the real live minds
who enter it shall stay in II.
| Necessities Greater.
| The necessities of school teachers
are greater than those of most any
other employees receiving the same sal
aries. You have to keep up a certain
appearance and live in a good neigh
borhood, and yet on your present sal
aries you have no chance to save or to
| take care of your future"
! In this opinion other speakers of the
| evening concurred, including Secretary
Frank Morrison Of the American Fed
Grafton OF Labor and II. NJ. McLarin.
president Of the Federal Employees
Union L. v. Lampson. chairman of
| the committee On mass meeting for
public school employees. presided
| There Is no class of wage earners
or people who receive salaries that do
| more difficult or trying work for as
| little money as the teachers Of this
country" Mr.. Morrison said. And the
! reason Is simple. and the same as we
| hnd low wages in the textile industry
School teachers are supposed to be
young and only to take care of them
| selves and not to be heads of families,
SO their wage scales are fixed to only
! take care of one.
Must Act for Themselves.
"The labor movement of this country
demands that man or woman who is
doing mans or woman's work in this
world shall receive a wage that will
take care of family" continued Mr.
Morrison. He warned the teachers that
they must act for themselves and not
depend on other organizations to pass
'ympathetic resolutions
I'VE are not selfish in trying to get
our salaries increased" Mr. McLarin de-
clared. outlining the work Of the Fed
eral Employees Union. "One's whole
life and hs ppiness depends in great part
upon the salary you receive What you
eat. what you wear, where you live,
with whom you associate, whether you
| marry--in fact, your whole life and
happiness in this world depend upon
your salary"
Urges Organization.
Mr.. McLarin urged the teachers to
organize and affiliate with the Ameri-
can T eueTatlOA OIL LiapoI III ciucT "
make their demands effective.
Resolutions indorsinE the campaign
for adequate salaries and the proposed
formation Of a central committee to
carry on the work were passed. Let
ters of regret expressing hearty SYM
party in the work, were read from Supt.
Ernest L. Thurston, Representative
Allen Cooper OF Wisconsin and Samuel
Gompers Of the American Federation
of Labor.
To Inspect Power Plant.
Members of the Engineering Society
of George Washington University will
make their annual inspection of the
Benning power plant Of the Potomac
Electric Power Company tomorrow
night Mark Woodward. instructor in
electrical engineering. will explain the
apparatus In the plant. The plant will
be laboring under peak load caused
by the night Christmas shopping
~