The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-02-10
Kifchin's Questions
 Shed Much Light On
 Government Expenses MEN GETTING SALARY OF $25 DAILY HAVE FIX PENsEs AMOUNTING TO s35-ANsELL GETTING 5000 YEARLY

Washington, Feb. IDA new light has been thrown on the Ansell- Baker court martial controversy of last spring through words passed on the floor of the House the other day when Representative Kitchin of North Carolina brought to light the fact that former Colonel Ensen is now in the employ of one of the pax- tisan investigating committees of Congress and drawing 3, salary, or flee" as they term 1t, of from $20,- 900 to $25, 900 annually for his ser vices.
 This information leaked out when ! Congressman Kitchin took occasion to ask Chairman Good, Republican of Iowa, of the House Appropriations Committee, why the Investigating committees were asking an appro- priation of $77,000. Chairman Good came forward to reply, but he was choked off by several of the Repub,;- can leaders, including Uncle Joe Ca,s- 1Son Representative Nicholas Long worth and others who did not seem to relish answers to these inquiries. A running word duel ensued in which Kitchin ultimately carried his point
 eff the gentleman from Iowa is not too much disturbed by others around im," interjected Congressman Gar ner of Texas, q would like to get some idea of the items for which the S77,000 has been used"
 Congressman Kitc11in then suggest cd that maybe some of the chairmen Of the various Investigating commit tees, if they were present on the floor, might elucidate some Of the unusual items appearing in their ex- mt 1nr-.at tinc them-Mr. Graham, of Illinois, of the war expenditures Investigating committee; MT. Mackenzie of Illinois; MT. Frear, the economist of the air craft Investigating committee; MT. Josephus Walsh. of Massa chusetts Cf the Shipping Board Investigating committee; MT. Royal c. Johnson "f South Dakota and MT. Reavis-only one of them responded to his name on the floor.
 "There is my friend MT. Reavis, of Nebraska,'' said MT. Kitchin after an Interruption, 'who is one of the auto mobile investigators. If they were here they could explain. They knew these items were coming up this aft ernoon and knew that the gentleman from Texas was going to ask some questions about them and that he was very curious to know how all this money COulu pOS6lDIy uo SpShL-
 During this colIoquy only Mir Walsh answered to his name. Later MT Reavis and MT. Mckenzie came in. Meanwhile MT. Kitchin read off his "bill of complaints enumerating some of the figures on which he and MT. Garner desired information.
 "On page 1O14," said MT. Kitchin, reading from a committee report, 'tis an item, e. G. Gabrielson, 14 days
 
 expenses $49O.89.' I cannot under stand, you know, why his expenses were about S10O more than his salary, unless he was hired on the ex- pense basis instead of on g. salary basis, so that his expenses would be inc principal thing and the salary the incident why his salary should be $25 day and his expenses $35 a day. I know that MT. F'rear could explain that.
 Here is another little item. My friend, the gentleman from Illinois, (Mr. McKenzie) is present, and there is absolutely no doubt that he can explain this. On page 1915 I find o. w. Illig, 25 days at $15 a day, $S75; expenses $1S7.'
 Another one, w. J. Sperl, 25 days, at $15 a day $375; expenses $1S5.61.'
 Here IS anOLner one TOT my Trend F7rear's sub committee: Salary IS days, hours, at $25 a day, s45e.3S; expenses s512.67.'
 Here is another one under my friend Graham's subcommittee Ser vices, 4 days, $2o0; expenses $1e3' In some of these cases would rather be employed on the expense basis than on a salary basis
 MT. Kitchin then asked Congress- man Walsh why 1t was that the lat ter's "parloT-car trip" to the coast bad cost the Government $4,06l While "my friend, MT. Frear, who carried more parties to the Pacific Coast, and went into a larger cx- animation, should have had railroad expenses of only $1,401.
 Referring to the employment of 'olone1 Anse1l, Congressman Kitchin
 Id:
 fThey have got an attorney not
 r1y for the general committed but for all except a few of the sub-com- mittees They have one man as at- torney, Gen. Ansell, employed by Mr Graham's committee at the rate of $20,000 or s25,e00 a year. They have another subcommittee of this war Investigating committee which has a lawyer at about S1,200 or s1,50O a month. Each of these lawyers has a clerk and a secretary whom we are paying. Democrats never did that"