Evening star., 1921-04-25
SENATE ADOPTS
|. COMPROMISE ON
REC[ASS|F|CAT|ON
Controversy Arises Over Sub
mission of Bills to Proper
Committees.
LEGISLATION DECLARED
APPROPRIATIONS ISSUE
Measures Asked to Be Put Before
Both Committees on Civil Sery.
ice and Appropriations.

49, sASAS'
! A compromise plan. under which
the Sterling and Smoot reclassifica
ton bllis shall go first to the Senate
committee on civil service and then
10 the committee on APPROXIMATIONS
was laid before the S,nate this AFTER
! noon by Senator Sterling. chairman of
the civil service committee, after con-
sultation with Senator Smoot of Utah
OF the appropriations committee.
The compromise plan was finally
adopted by the Senate on a viva yoce
vote. The bills so first to the civil
service committee.
Senator Sterling offered the COM
promise plan as an amendment to his
! motion 10 refer the reclassffication
olils to the civil service committee.
The controversy over which commit
tee should have jurisdiction over
these bills has continued for a cou-
| pie of week and extended back into
the last Congress.
when Senator Sterling's motion to
refer the reclassific fication bills to the
clVii service committee came up for
consideration today senator Smoot
launched into an attack on the Ster-
| ling bill. which. he declared, was not
workable. and which, he said, would
permit injustices to continue. He said
tnat III was evident that a propaganda
| IN favor of the bill was under way.
Judging from the kilograms which
have been received by members of
the Senate from people who know
nothing about the matter
AT this point Senator Mccormick of
! Illinois interrupted to say that Sena-
TOT SmOOt diSpnSSjnO ho ar;,
OF the bill. not the question which
committee of the Senate should ham
die the bills.
Believed Question OF Appropriations.
Chairman Warren of the appropria-
tions committee and Senator Phipps
! of Colorado. both argued that the re-
Classification bills belonged to the
appropriations committee.
Senator Simmons of North Carolina.
democrat. called attention to the fact
| that the classification of government
| employees and the fixing of their rate
OF salaries were matters of legisla-
! ton. and that providing money to
pay the salaries was a matter of ap-
preparation. He wanted to know IL
the reclaSSiication bills proposed to
| appropriate the money to pay the
salaries. OF the government employees.
Senator Warren pointed out that
while the appropriation bills for the
next fiscal year have been passed.
| the Smoot reclassification bill pro-
| poses to appropriate any money in
addition that may be needed to pay
the reclassified employees during the
| next fiscal year.
The compromise plan was vigorously
attacked by Senator Poindexter of
Washington and Senator Norris of
! Nebraska. Senator Norris insisted
| that to adopt the plan of sending the
bills first to the civil service commit
tee and then to the appropriations
committee would result in much de-
lay. He said, too, that it would be
bad precedent. and that while he be-
lieved the bills should go to the civil
service committee he would rather
see them go to the appropriations
committee at the start than to have
them sent to the two committees.
Senator Lenroot OF Wisconsin de-
Tended the compromise proposal. and
argued that the plan if adopted would
expedite the legislation.
Lobby Charged.
Senator Underwood of Alabama.
democratic leader, spoke in opposition
to the reference of the reclasSifics-
tion bills to the committee on civil
compromise plan. By rights. he said,
the bills should be referred to the
newly created committee on eXpendi-
lures in the executive departments.
Senator Underwood charged that
lobby is back of the movement to
have the bills referred to the civil
service committee
He urged that the appropriations COM
mittee was better able to deal with
the matter of reclassifying the govern
ment employees and fixing new salaries
for them. He insisted that for the last
forty years the appropriations COM
mittee has dealt with all legislation deal
ing with the salaries of the government
employees.
Senator Sterling called attention to.
the fact that in the House three reclassi-
fication bills had been referred TO the
committee on civil service and not the
appropria tionS committee.