New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1917-06-15
OF MONEY
FOR CLERKS WHO
NEVER SERVE

CONGRESSMAN FROM NEW
YORK ATTACKS POLICy
OF PUTTING POLITICAL
DEAD HEADS ON PAY roll
AND WINS
Special to State Record.
Washington. June l3---The absurd
ity of providing clerks for Hous
committees that never meet or at
tempt to perform any work has beel
brought to the attention of his col
leagues by Congressman Rollin B
Sanford of New York, a conscien
tious member of the Committee OF
Accounts. That committee had be
fore It a proposition to provide elev
en- such clerkships at a total MONTH,
stipend of $l,37s. When Mr.. San
ford protested mildly in the commit
tee that he would like information
as to what duties the clerks woult
perform he was accused by the Dem
ocratic members with Constructing
the public business" Although HI
was given no recognition in the CON
mittee Representative Sanford lait
the matter before the House, ant
showed plainly that the plan wa!
simply to given eleven Democratic
chairmen additional patronage o.
SIPS per month, and the recommcn
dation of the majority of the Ac
counts Committee was overwhelm'
ingly defeated.
Salary Grabbing.
The tendency of the Democrats te
attach abnormally large salaries te
the heads of newly created bureaus
while ignoring the claims of Other
bureau chiefs OF longer service who
may have far greater responsible.
ties, has been brought to the atten'
tion of the Senate by Hon. Reed
Smoot of Utah. The recent attempt
to raise the salary of the Director ol
the Bureau of War Risk Insurance
who has charge of business amount
ing to 70 or 80 million dollars a year
from $1,000 to $500 was defeated al
the instance Of Senator Smpot. He
mentioned the fact that the Com
missioner of Pensions, who disburscs
in the neighborhood of 100 million
dollars a year, and has several hun
dred clerks in his office, receives
only 5000, and the Commissioner oi
the General Land Office. with thou-
sands of employees and millions OF
acres of the public domain in his
charge, gets like amount. Mr.
Smoot thinks tlrat such discrepan-
cies in salaries should not be tolerat-
ed, and intends to see to it that there
is some relation between the work
done and the salary paid.
"Hsre Lies = Big Mistake.
Congressman Harry c. woodward
of West Virginia thinks the Presid-
ent committed a most serious psy-
Geological error in refusing to per-
init Col. Roosevelt to raise his army
for France. In a speech which he
made entitled, "Here Lies big Mis-
take" Mr.. woodward declares that
popular enthusiasm for the war will
never be aroused by withholding
confidence from the people, and au-
tocratically crushing their senti-
ment as expressed by their Repre-
sentatives in the National Congress.
But that was what the President did
to use Mr.. Woodyard's language
"By q stroke Of the pen and few
classic samples of pure, limpid, and
English" From commu-
nications which he has received from
and newspapers in his
district Mr.. woodward is convinced
that he reflects the sentiments OF
the people of West Virginia.
A Dry War.
Congressman Sam R. Sells of Ten
nessee approves of the ATTEMPT to
national prohibition on
the plea that the manufacture of Ii
quor wastes the grain supply OF the
but, at the same time, he
has no hesitancy in presenting a
clear cut prohibition measure to the
House providing that after July LIST
next the manufacture and sale of
alcoholic liquors shall stop while
the war is in progress, and penali-
zing violations with fine of $1,000
or five years imprisonment. Mr..
Sells believes that we should follow
the lead of France and Russia in
putting a ban on the consumption
of liquor, and Immediately institute
reforms salong that line.
Conseripts Are Not "Slackers."
Objections to the conscription plan
of raising an army were undoubtedly
due largely to the odium which has
.ong beer. attached to the draft. a
measure which was resorted to dur
ing the Civil War. We began that
war with a volunteer system of en-
listment. and when volunteers were
not forthcoming we Offered boun-
ties which gradually increased in
amount. Finally, the draft became
and those men who were
called in this manner were looked
upon IS men who would neither vo-
luntecr through 4 feeling Of patrio-
tism nor respond to the inducements
Of . bounty.
There is no good reason, however,
why the conscription method now
adopted by the United States should
place any mark of disgrace upon
those who are called through its
Nevertheless, there is
Danger that in public comment, and
in unexpressed opinions there will
be a sentiment that men who are Sc
lected under the conscription system
are "siackers" at heart and respond
ed only because they were compel
led to do so. That attitude of the
public mind would necessarily place
citizens in an unfayor-