The Washington herald., 1921-02-20
Conferees Fail to Reach
Agreement; Outlook
More Uncertain.
MEASURE TO FACE
TANGLED PROSPECT
Committee Members Re-
fuse to Divulge Points
In Dispute.

Senate and House conferees were
unable to agree on the amendments
in the legislative, executive and
judicial appropriations bill grant
ing the $40 bonus to Federal and
District employees and the bill will
have to go back to the House for
another vote.
The conference yesterday lasted
from until p. m. and many
agreements were reached upon the
minor amendments. The bonus
amendment affects $4,000 employees
in the District, involving $4,000
900 a year in salaries. Outside OF
the District. Federal payrolls are
affected to the extent Of SS5,OOo'OOo'
Result of Failure.
II the bonus is rejected in the
next vote in the House the bill
will be returned to the Senate,
probably for reconsideration on the
question of receding from the
amendment II the amendment is
lost not only will the old time gov
eminent employees fail TO receive
the s24O a year extra pay, but the
police and iremen and employees of
the navy yard and arsenal and the
personnel of the United States
TTaflc Commission and Women's
Bureau of the Department of Labor
will not receive the S240, while the
personnel OF the War Risk Insur-
ance bureau will not receive the
Sl2O bonus, which is at present in
force.
When the bill passed the House
recently the bonus feature was
stricken out entirely but the Sem
ate Appropriations Committee re-
stored il, and the Senate In passing
the hill last Monday voted further
amendments taking in the navy
yard and arsenal employees and the
Traffic Board and women's Board.
Over this there was a fight that con-
tinued from the previous week
when the whole amendment was
knocked out on a point Of order by
Senator Curtis Of Kansas, during
an acrimonious debate.
Doubt on Issue.
Whether the conferees were - =
able TO agree upon the COMMITTEES
amendment restoring the bonus IN
general or upon the subamendments
caring for the navy yards and the
bureaus none Of the conferees would
discuss last night. Senators War
rem, Smoot and Overman were the
Senate members of the committee,
while the House members were
Representatives Wood, Wason and
Sisson. It was merely stated that
the committee was unable to agree
on some of the amendments, that
no date had been fixed for further
conferences, and that the legisla-
tive bill would be returned to the
House for another vote. This was
taken to indicate that the Senators
held out for the bonus amendments.
The conference fight had been ex-
pected because of the opposition ON
that side of the Capitol to the bon
US feature of appropriations bills.
The bonus was stricken out in the
House on a point of order by Rep
resentative Blanton of Texas
He declared 1t as legislative and
not germane to a fiscal bill. This
was the same ground upon which
it was stricken out in the Senate
during the debate when Senator
Curtis objected because the navy
yard amendment was included.
History of Case.
Senator Curtis said the informa-
tion of the Senate committee was
to the effect that the navy yard
employees received more pay than
other government or District en-
ployes Of the same class without
the bonus, and that he would make
= point of order every time they
were included. Senator Lodge, Of
Massachusetts,, obtained a suspen-
sion of the Senate rules in order
that a majority vote could put the
navy yard subamendmeHt in the
bill, and this precedence was fore
cast at the time as the forerunner
Of a bitter fight when the bill
reached the conference. That the
night was a bitter one in the confer
ence was indicated BY the length Of
the meeting and the fact that no
decision was reached except on the
minor amendments That no date
was fixed for a further conference
indicated the hopelessness of the
situation
So the fate of the S2IO bonus for
Federal and District employees, in
cluding the police and fremen of
the Capital. is in the balance, with
a very serious outlook so far as the