The Washington herald., 1917-02-27
CLERKS WIN VICTORY
CONTINUED FROM rAGE ONE.


and impassioned plea to have the con-
ference report supported. He said In
part:
"This Increase provided by the House
raises the salaries In this bill about So
500. II IL is accepted as the standard for
the other supply bills pending it will
mean S26,0oo.o0o a year. 1t does not mean
that we increase the amount of the an
nual payrolls s26, 100000 over the amount
provided by the Smoot amendment, but It
just about doubles the Senate provision.
'T confess cannot understand the at
titude of Senator's who approach this
matter In a hostile attitude.
we have increased our own salaries
We have Increased the salaries of cabi-
net officers. We have increased the sal
aries OF judges, yet we hesitate over
granting this mere pittance to employees
OF the government and the District.
wherein Is the consistency?
Increased Own Pay.
The Senator from Wisconsin said that
the United States had entered into a new
economic era about eighteen years ago
and that the cost of living had begun to
climb from that period. On January q,
1907. they had voted to raise their own
salaries so per cent and he read into
the roll call the names of all Senators who
had voted for that increase.
We have felt the pressure of advancing
prices and the employees in the lower
grades Of the government service have
felt It equally as much" he said.
Let us glance at some of the increases
we have voted: The President, 50 per
cent; the Secretary to the President, 50
per cent; the Vice President, 50 per cent;
the Secretary to the Vice President,
81 per cent: Senators and Representatives,
30 per cent; the Secretary to the Senate,
50 per cent: the sergeant-at-arms, 49 per
cent; the Speaker. 30 per cent; Ambassa-
| doris from 50 to 100 per cent: the Secre-
tary to the Treasury, 80 per cent; and the
employees OF the executive department of
the Treasury from IL to 80 per cent.
Workers Neglected.
nized the employees of the lower grades Of
the Federal service. They find It just as
hard to live.
Il talked last night with street car
employees who told me that on existing
salaries they were obliged to live two
and three families in a house. Yet in
many cases they are paid higher salaries
than hundreds whom the schedule Of
wages we propose would benefit"
The Senator described cases where en-
ployes in the government service were
obliged to take up other employment at
night in order to exc out an existence
He read into the Record statistics Of
the Department of Labor, showing the
| increased cost of living and the schedule
! OF wages for government employees since
| 1854.
! Senator Bryan, of Florida. interrupted
| to ask If it was not true that half of the
| increases proposed by the five and ten
/ per cent schedule would go to the Post
office Department.
"Give the Raises!"
| Il don't care who the increases would
go to. I know they are deserved. For
| Gods sake. give them to them," replied
! La Toilette.
! H. NJ. McLarin. president of the Fed
result from the galleries. said: ''If l
said I was not delighted at the outcome
of this prolonged fight for justice would
be telling an untruth.
IT am gratified and it only confirms q
| belief have long held that the members
| of the Sixty-fourth Congress are among
| the most progressive and humane that
| have ever sat in the Capitol. For days
1t looked dark. but have had an abiding
| faith in the fairness of the majority in
| both branches. 1t has been borne out by
the result tonight. 1 thank The Wash
| Ington HeraN as well as every other
| agency and individual who has worked
to bring about this happy result 1t
marks a happy ending to a clean and
| honest fight"