The Washington herald., 1916-12-10
MORE SENATORS Eager
To Aid U. S. EMPLOYEES
Sentiment in Upper Chamber Crystal.
lizing in Favor of Raise.

Sentiment in the Senate Is crystalliz-
ing in favor OF placing Uncle Sans
thousands Of employees on a more sub
lstantial financial footing.
4 A large majority of the Senate Is In
favor of increasing the salaries of en-
ployes under the l,50o class, and there
is yet to be discovered Senator who
believes the government should pay n
! man less than the duties he performs
/ justify.
Senator Robinson. Of Arkansas, express
ed sentiment yesterday which Is in
full accord with the views Of many
other Senators when he declared:
II would be ashamed OF myself II
did not favor bill to increase the sal
aries Of the government employe who
Is making hardly enough to sustain him
self and family, especially when the cost
Of living is as high as IT Is now
| Other Senators yesterday climbed upon
the 'band-wagon." announcing their in
tention to vote for any safe and sane
measure which would do justice to the
employees to whom Justice is due. They
ere Senator Cummins. OF Iowa, one of
the Republican leaders; Senator Thomp-
son, of Kansas: Senator Thomas, of Col
orado, candidate for President protein
of the Senate; Senator Jones, of Wash
Ington, Progressive-R republican leader and
one of the most active "reformers" Of
the Senate; Senator Smith. of Arizona,
and Senator Shields. OF Tennessee.
Hopeful of Success.
1t is the opinion of these Senators that
bill providing, an increase for under
paid employees could be passed in the
Senate.
Senate leaders assume an extremely
cautious attitude, however when a gen.
eral horizontal increase in pay is men,
toned. But there is no mistaking the
sympathy among them for the clerks and
laborers who are forced to grapple with
the high cost Of living, with a pay en-
velope ranging from 5000 a year to $3.50
as their only weapon.
The Federal government should set an
example to the country" said Senator
Jones. by doing something very soon
for the relief Of employees who are under
paid. There are a lot of employees who
are getting only about 500 or $500 year.
How they manage to live 1 cannot con-
ceive- These are the men who have my
warmest sympathy. The government
should not pay any laborer less than $50
month. How a man can support a
family on less than that is more than I
can fathom. l am not in favor of in
creasing the pay Of the employees who
are already getting good Salaries, but the
man who is working for almost next to
nothing is deserving of all my sym
pathy."
Senator Smith declared that he had
''an intense sympathy with the man who
isn't paid enough for his work, whether
employed by the government or by a
private concern" A bill that is aimed to
relieve conditions among government en-
ployes who are in need of assistance
would meet his hearty support. Senator
1 Smith asserted. The government ought
to pay as anyone else would for the
work that is DONE" he said. "and there
are lot of poor fellows who now aren't
getting enough
Champion of Cause
One of the warmest champions Of the
Federal employe Is Senator Cummins, OF
! Iowa, who is heartily in accord with the
movement to increase the pay of Uncle
Sans employees.
Amy employe of the government ought
to get enough to live on decently," Sena-
tor Cumrnins stated emphatieally. Many
clerks are getting $500 a year. That
isn't enough. I believe, but they can
manage to live on it, even under pres
ent conditions. 1t is the clerks and the
iaborers who are getting under S25UU
who have my keenest sympathy. 1t is
very hard for them to make both ends
OF them cannot, certainly those who are
getting under $1,000 a year. 1 would be
very glad to see Congress pass a bill
affording a just increase to these men. "
said Senator Cummins, land 1t would get
my vote"
Senator Thompson declared:
1T would be simply an act Of Justice
to provide better pay for small-salaried
employees
1T has come to this" he said. "a
man must either cheat his grocer or his
landlord. Now the average man doesn't
want to cheat anybody. He wants to nav
all his bills as he goes along and keep
out of debt. But to pay his bills he has
to have the money, and I think It is onIy
an act OF justice for the government to
pay its employees enough to live on with
out being forced to cheat either his grocer
or his landlord"
Senator Thompson expressed the opin-
ion that the high cost Of foodstuffs would
disappear at the close of the European M
war or else will be greatly reduced.
Senator Shields, of Tennessee Is in fa
vor of giving the $500 and $500 emploves
enough money to live on properly. He
Is studying the question carefuIiv and
said that the underpaid employe had his
sympathy.
Senator Robinson is an out-and-out sd-
vocate of increased salaries.
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