Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-25
HOUSE STANDSF|RM
ON CLERKS SALARY
Mr.. Mann Leads a Successful
Fight Against the Smoot
Amendment.
TELLS SENATE ITO GO TO"

| This is perhaps the most severe
! criticism the Senate ever has received
| in the House of Representatives. 1t
| fell from the lips of Representative
Mann of Illinois, who led a remarkably
successful fight on the House floor yes
terday to save the House provision for
| an increase of salary for government
clerks.
Representative Mann did not advise
the conferees just where they should
tell the Senate to go. He merely said
the the Senat to go to" and stopped
right there. But there was gasp.
Old-time members who were brought
up to remember the dignity of the Sem
ate couldn't believe their ears. How
ever, they aroused from their reverles
on the matter when they rallied that
Representative Mann had succeeded in
leading away twenty-three democrats
who voted with the republicans to re-
Ject the Smoot amendment to the Agri-
cultural appropriation bill and stand
by the House provision for 10 per cent
raises up to 81 200 and 5 per cent raises
on salaries between $1,000 and $1.SOO.
Threat of No Increases.
Late yesterday evening the Senate
agreed to the conference report on the
legislative appropriation bill, contain
ing the Smoot amendment, thereby
again rejecting the House proposal for
salary increases. Some of the demo-
cratic leaders insisted that unless the
Senate wage increases were finally
agreed to by the House there would
be no increases at all for the clerks.
that they would see the appropriation
bills fail before they would yield to
the House.
The conference report on the legiS-
1ative bill has yet to be acted upon
by the House, and it is expected that
it will be brought up in that body
tomorrow, when it will become another
test of the wage increase question.
The leaders of the House had de-
termined to capitulate in favor of the
Smoot amendment and decided to test
the matter out on the Agricultural ap-
the House is deeply interested owing
to the value of the well known farmer
vote.
Representative Lever of South Caro-
lima, in charge of the bill. pleaded with
the House not to let the bill fail, with
all of it's valuable provisions for new
activities in the field of agriculture
Just because. forsooth, the Senate is
not willing to increase an S1,S00 clerk
by $50 in year."
House against failing appropriation
bills were made, and Representative
Byrns of Tennessee, in charge of the
legislative bill. carrying 1900 govern
session if the House stuck by the S
and 10 per cent raise. This provision,
by the way, first appeared in the legis-
Iative appropriation bill on the House
side of the Capitol.
Mr.. Mann Steps In.
Then it was that Representative
Mann arose and delivered his ideas on
the subject of senatorial bluff" He
said the democrats acted like a nurse
trying to scare a child with stories of
ghosts. He declared that as sure as
the sun will rise tomorrow the agri-
cultural bill will pass, and that the
House should not be scared away from
it's intention, twice voted upon, to
raise government clerks salaries as
first proposed
During my experience of twenty
years-longer than that of any gentle
Wisconsin-such a thing as an extra
session because of the failure of ap-
preparation bills has not occurred
He declared that with proper atten-
ton to clerical work in the office of the
enrolling clerk the bills could all be
brought up to date and ready for sig
nature no matter how long the dis
cussions lasted.
Now what is the situation?" he
asked. THE Senate has had one vote
votes. 2SO to about 60-one a little
above and one a little below those fig
ures. Has it come to pass that the
House of Representatives is obliterat-
ed? Do we no longer exist? Are we
here merely to draw our pay? Have
we no opinions of our own?
"Of course the unwritten practice in
matters of this kind always is that there
will be a compromise between matters
insisted upon by the two respective
bodies.
Not a Compromise.
This is no compromise. (AIr. Mann was
referring to the ATTEMPT to adopt the
Smoot amendment) 1t is ignominious.
disgraceful surrender with absolutely no
excuse for it, The House took vote
Yesterday, 2s2 to 81 in favor of the House
provision, and walking out of this cham
Der the conferees on two bills, without
discussing the question, without attempt
ing TO get compromise. walked over to
the Senate and abjectly surrendered.
II believe the dignity of the House is
somewhat at stake. We take orders
from the executive, but up to this time
we have not taken orders from the Sem
ate of the United States"
He concluded with a few more words,
including his advice to tell the Senate to
"go to-"
Representative Kitchin. democratic
leader, expressed the opinion that the
firm stand on the clerks pay is in reality
part of a filibuster being attempted to
clog legislation so as to kill the post Office
bill and the famous bone dry" rider.
Let no man." he said, who is a
| friend of the bone-dry legislation in the
post Office bill. which had the almost
unapimous sanction of the House. be
deceived. Men in this House know that
| il would not do for those who oppose the
provisions of the post office bill to let
all the other bills pass. agree ON all
| provisions in the other bills, but stand
out in disagreement only on the post Of
| flee bill"
Would Undo Their Own Work.
He continued:
II believe there are men at the other
end of the Capitol willing to- see every
| appropriation bill, with its benefcent
| legislation, fail and an extra session
| called, in order 20 defeat the amend
ment In the post Office bill which thew
I themselves put in"
( He was still referring to the bone dry
amendment of Senator Reed
Shortly thereafter there was a vote the
] House rejecting the senatorial proposals
| for a minor series of raises by a vote oi
| 1s9 to ia. Two republicans voted for
/ the Smoot ent-Representatives
James Of Michigan and McCracken OF
| Idaho. The twenty-three democrats who
+; refused to vote for the Smoot amendment
were Representatives Adair. Buchanan
| Carin, CroSser. Driscoll E,a1an Farley