The Washington herald., 1921-08-23
SENATE BACKS
SHIP BOARDS
HIGH SALARIES
Indorses Harding's Plea,
80 to "a, After Long
Day of Debate.
PARTISAN TWITS
MARK DISCUSSION
Harrison Threatens Long
Wra.ngle to Halt
Crying Evil

The Senate yesterday voted its
Endorsement Of President Harding's
policy of hiring high salaried ex-
perts to disentangle the govern
ment from the $4,000. 100000 ship
ping fiasco.
The Senate debated the shipping
appropriation until nearly midnight.
before reaching agreement that 1t
should pass.
BY a vote of 80 to "a it rejected
an amendment offered by Senator
Harrison, Of Mississippi. Democrat,
prohibiting the payment of SAL
aries above $4,000 by the Shipping
Poard. The amendment was SINH
lar to one adopted by the House
designed to cut off the payment "t
salaries running as high as $4,000.
Six Republicans Joined the solid
Democratic force in voting for
Harrison motion.
The action was victory for the
administration and accords with
President Harding's desires, ex-
pressed in his letter of Saturday de-
Tending the necessity for sneagsns
the most competent experts to
handle the shipping problem.
Joke to Watson.
The vote was taken after hours
Of debate. which Senator Watson
of Georgia, declared res"lved about
the question: "Is the pot blacker
than the kettle?" In its efforts to
clean u the shipping bill. to which
TIE amendment was offered. the
Senate sat late in the night
Senator Mccormick. of Illinois
led off the debate with a defense
of the present shining admins
tration. He furnished the Senate
with a table showing that the out
Law bv the government for the
Shipping Board since 1916 has
reached the enormous total Of s3,
396. 100000. OF which not more thar
20 per cent would be salvaRed. Sem
ator Mccormick defended the prae
tice Of paying large, salaries for
canable experts. particularly legal
talent, because he said the best
men available were REQUIRED to
cope with the formidable legal
counsel arrayed AGAINST the Ship
ping Board on behalf of private con-
Germs. He named such firms as
Wilson and Co'bv. composed OF
former President Wilson and for
mer Secretary of State Colby:
Lansing and woolsey, Gregory and
Todd, Palmer and Davis. as amons
those against which Shipping Board
would have to cone.
Reed. of Missouri. supporting the
amendment, said the fact that Of
fcers of the shipping Board had
been appointed at eNorbitant SAL
aries. ranging from So nno TO $35.000
a year, was proof sufficient Of the
inefficiency of the board. Ther"
ought to he a comnlete houseclean-
ing, and every man respons'bIe for
that salary list onoht to be re-
tired to private life" he declared.
Bu-e-ucrncy. Says Bornh.
Senator New. Of indiana. wanted
to know how the advoca ties Of the
exnectAd the pover""nHn'
to "go up against such brilliant
legal minds as George w. Wicker
sham. of New York. unless salaries
with the services re-
quired were paid"
Mr.. wickersham represented the
Al attorney-general and
received only $4,000 year salary"
retorted Senator Borah.
But he was a member of the
said Mccormick.
Borah charged that the Shipping
Board was "a bureaucracy not func-
tioning." He said there should be
one man at its head instead of seven
at annual salaries of $4,000 each
and three experts" drawing an
nual salaries totaling $4,000. He
said he had been unable to obtain
the total of the official salary roll.
and that he had found it impossible
to fix responsibility on any one man
in the bureau when he had sought
to do so.
Senator Jones. of Washington,
said he was in favor Of appointing
one man to have charge of the
of claims. but he would
not favor abolishing the board.
Bornh Quotes Letter.
Borah told of a letter he had re-
ceived from an army officer who
that there were too
many officers in the Shipping Board
and not enough privates. They
loaf 80 per cent of the time" said
CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO.