Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-05-11
s1IFFRACIST PRAISES
STATE LAWMAKERS
-, pennsylvania House of
representatives Is best Ill
country, Except Illinois
Bv MARY ELAND

- onseryer of Penna. Woman SUI
Legislative fraee Association.
HARRISBURG May ll'-one 'es'"
=, ono perseveres. have perseVereu
"u. ,o,e learned what ! have Iearno
,,., the House of Representatives Vi '"e
S.,,morwealth Of pennsylvania IL 'he oes'
Co' ,,,,rv-saye one. The superior
.oav is that of Illinois
pou' ,ouse am a mere woman and
.,1rssist and might be justined IN t''nA"'s
..,.h things of the pennsylvania house )"
u,on with many other citizens OF the
S".,onwealth. hasten to make 1t known
49,, this passing in judgment concerning
n .ns ror,h of the House OF Representatives
~ M the Judgment of the House user ana
Is tne ,,,e listing appearing in that very
handy little voiume' "'''u''
Handbook .,, At.
ns Representatives, or at least lS4
n. ~ 172 Of them recorded as having
Sstsd decided that their services 10 .ne
C..ts was worth $4,000 instead or slooo
e..;ously maid. incidentally. this increase
Z pre,., onIv requires an expenditure Of
van1 ooo which is quite neat little sum
~, economical Legislature to expend
~, ,n Itself Or at least so 1t seems when
upSb,s listened to the patriotic talk OF
economy
ILLINOIS PAYS THEM MORE
r,. action becomes more significant and
.u.s.hIv more pleasing to the folks back
ka,ns" when one reads in Smulls what the
;.gisiators of other States think they are
worth. .o-oo ,
an. state, Illinois. II is found pays Its
s.s,.,,tors more Its House meets bien-
s;s,jv az does that Of Pennsylvania. and
there is no limit set up regarding the length
~ time II may meet. Its members are paid
$500 a year.
II ia shown, however, that some States
ara not so liberal, even frequently setting
4 time limit and insisting that the business
NJ The States be performed by the paid
servants OF the states sometimes within
forty days. And, shades of the economists
NJ Pennsylvania. some of the States pay
their legislators by the day. just like labor
ers and expect to have the business OF the
state performed just as ably and as con-
scientiously as that Of Pennsylvania!
Just a few glimpsings reveal that three
states limit sessions Of the Legislatures 10
forty days. one puts the figure at forty
Ave. three at fifty. twenty at sixty. five
others from sixty-one to ninety days. and
sixteen, including Pennsylvania. permit
their legislators to fix their own length oi
sessions.
81 A DAY IN SOME STATES
One perseveres and learns more. Some o
the interesting findings are that among thu
States having sixty-day sessions some limt
. the pay of their lawmakers to 81 day. ant
some go as high as SO a day. Some State
have lump sums for the session. such Al
5000 the session in South Carolina and New
Hampshire. New York which is quite
State, Is satisfied to pay it's legislators r
the old Pennsylvania wage of $500 tn
session Five think $1,000 quite enough
The new Pennsylvania regulation, at II
own estimate, ranks Its Legislature tn
best save one. Illinois.
Two hundred and seven legislators a
$500 the session makes the bill of the peo
pie s5l7.500. not counting perquisites an
other expenses. But to pay this bill cheer
fully the folks back home" need only rea
the Legislative journal carefully and not
the patriotic sentiments therein expressed
Really. in way. IT seems worth the money